Chibi Bladers
by PrincessZaraStar
Summary: HIATUS
1. Entering the World

This is my first fanfiction on this site and I'm very excited to present Chibi Bladers. Before you read though, please read my short introduction.

Obviously, as it's set a couple years back to Kindergarten, this story doesn't follow the storyline of the manga or the anime, but the characters are the same, save Madoka, who I'm adding a shy element to (as she's a child, one never knows who she could've been). And Hikaru's personality follows that of Metal Masters, than that of Metal Fusion as she's a bit fearsome. With the relationships of the characters, it's somewhere between Metal Fusion and Metal Masters, because I've included Masumune in this story. The names used are all English, with exceptions to Daidoji (Doji), Kyouya (Kyoya), and Hyouma (Hyoma). I just like those names in Japanese better, I suppose. This story will be updated once every week and is predicted to be quite long. Well, that's the end of my introduction! Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Entering the World<strong>

"Ginka! Today is your first day of Kindergarten, you'd better hurry up in there," sang my father, banging a quick knock to my bedroom door.  
>First day.<br>"Coming!"  
>Excitedly, I grabbed my Blue backpack with the Pegasus silhouette and tucked my crayon box, pencils, and Hamburger plushie into it, taking in the new scent of it all. This was the day that I would prove my abilities to learn! Sobered for a minute, I glanced over to the picture of my mother on my nightstand. Her smiling face, flowing fire-y red hair, and deep brown eyes made me smile a little, a yearning filling my heart.<br>"I'll make you proud, Mom," I whispered.  
>I noticed my blue beyblade sitting right underneath, as still as untouched water. It was polished to a tee, gleaming in the light, the red accents complimenting the blue well, along with the picture of a Pegasus in the middle. Determination filled me and I grabbed it, putting it in my backpack as well.<br>"I won't let your love of beyblade die out," I said, smiling at my mother's picture. Her smiling face was my only reply, but that was good enough for me.  
>"I'm ready!" I happily chirped, jumping two at a time down the stairs.<br>"It's about time!" My father jokingly responded from the kitchen, "Your pancakes are getting cold and I was about to eat them for you!"  
>"No! I want to eat the pancakes!"<br>"Oh really? Well, maybe I'll just take a little bite…"  
>"Father!"<br>I bounded into the kitchen as quick as I could and hurried to sit down and eat my pancakes before my chuckling father could eat any. His face wore a teasing smile and his golden eyes sparkled with a happy glow. His hair was untamed and bright red, and he was tall and muscled. He wore a work suit, with his bunny tie, and simple black buckle shoes. In one hand was the newspaper, and the other tried to hide a miniscule piece of pancake that quickly went into his mouth.  
>"Dad!" I jokingly yelled, "You ate some of my pancake!"<br>"And boy was it tasty!" he jokingly teased, rubbing his stomach.  
>I frowned and crossed my arms at my plate, before giving up on sulking and digging into the delicious meal.<br>It consisted of two warm pancakes, with a generous topping of syrup and bright red strawberries, freshly cut and sweet to the taste. When I had finished, I stood up quickly, grabbed my backpack and headed for the back door.  
>"I'm off, Dad!" I yelled happily.<br>We had just moved to Tokyo, Japan, and getting used to the new life here was hard. Everything was so different from the small village that I had spent most of my life at. I couldn't believe that this was my first day of kindergarten; my first day of learning. A tingling excitement filled my whole being and I grinned as large as my face would allow.  
>"Hey, hold on a second Ginka! I have a present for you," Dad called, his echoing footsteps growing louder by the minute.<br>I turned my gaze from the door that lead to my future and faced my father behind me, the man that had raised me from birth and taught me everything I knew. He was my past. The future could wait a few minutes, I guess. The world wasn't going anywhere.  
>"Here," he held out a blue bandana, with a golden symbol of a Pegasus face and a single wing to the right, "your mother made this for you," he diverted his gaze for a moment, and peered out the window as if searching for something, "it was supposed to match mine."<br>I gently took it into my palms, my fingers brushing my father's strong hand, and held it as if it was a precious jewel.  
>"Thank you, father," was all my awed voice could say.<br>"Let's see how you look in it," he brightened, taking the bandana and beginning to tie it onto my head. After a few short minutes, he was done.  
>"Well," he mused, "it's a little big, but I must say, you are the spitting image of me when I was your age."<br>"You really think so?"  
>"Oh yes, go take a look at yourself!"<br>I scurried to the nearest mirror, which happened to be on the third floor of our house, as our only bathroom was on the top floor, and stared at my head, panting from the trip up.  
>The bright blue bandana made a friendly clash with my fire-y red hair, but I looked so much like my father and I felt a sense of pride that my mother had made such a beautiful object.<br>My cheeks red with excitement, I bounded down the stairs, grabbed my backpack, and ran out the door with a quick, "Bye!" to my Dad.  
>"Go prove yourself to the world, Son!" he cheered me on.<br>The yellow, gleaming bus arrived at the moment that I entered into the sunshine-y outside, and I ran up to it, smiling.  
>"Good Morning!" I said to the driver, smiling.<br>He frowned back and said a gruff, "Mornin'," before motioning to the back with his thumb. I entered and looked at the multitude of kids sitting in the seats and suddenly felt very small. I retreated to a window seat in the back and tried to hide myself from my classmate's view. I didn't realize how many kids I would be learning with! And something about their eyes intimidated me. I reached up to feel my mother's bandana and felt the soft fabric, reminding me that it was there. I felt re-energized and ready to face the world once again. My parents loved me and that gave me courage.  
>"Um, c-could I sit here?"<br>My thoughts interrupted, I turned my gaze to a small girl with big blue eyes and short brown hair. She wore a white shirt with the blue letters 'BB' on it and a pink vest with yellow accents. Her denim skirt and pink shoes with white socks matched her top perfectly. On her head she wore bright yellow goggles that seemed to be big on her.  
>"Sure, it's fine with me!" I said to her, smiling.<br>"O-oh thanks," she thanked, with a bow. She seemed flustered and a bit shy.  
>"Hey, are you a blader?" I asked, pointing to her shirt.<br>"Huh?" she looked down, "Oh, no. I just like beyblades a lot and my dad owns this shop that sells them," she looked down at her skirt, red faced, "I would love to become a mechanic, but I just don't know if I could ever do it," her ice-blue eyes met mine, "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that."  
>"Why are you sorry? I think your idea is awesome! You would make a great mechanic!"<br>Her face brightened, "Y-you think so? Hey, thanks. I'm M-madoka Amano. W-what's your name?"  
>"I'm Ginka. Ginka Hagane. It's really nice to meet you, Madoka," I smiled; she was really nice.<br>"Y-you too," her mouth curved into an embarrassed smile and then turned away, blushing.  
>I grinned at my success. I had made a new friend already! This was going to be a great day.<br>We arrived at the school after only a few more stops. It was a huge, well managed red brick building, and a flag pole stood in the front, the Japanese and American flags flying from it so proudly. I was a mix of both as my mother was American and my father Japanese, so I felt that this school captured that fact about me.  
>"Have you been here before?" I asked Madoka, turning my eyes from the school to her.<br>"N-no, never. I'm a little scared about coming here," she timidly responded, still looking down.  
>I softened a bit-I hadn't even thought about how it might be a bit frightening.<br>"It'll be okay, Madoka. I'll watch over you," I said, suddenly.  
>Her head jerked up and her shining eyes met mine for the second time, "Really?"<br>"Mhm!" I put my hand into hers, "We'll be friends and I'll make sure that you have a great time at this school!"  
>She grinned, her smile lighting her whole face up, "Friends. I like that. Let's be good friends, Ginka Hagane."<br>I nodded, and returned the grin.  
>"We're here," the bus drive announced, uninterested, "Gather up your backpacks, and head inside."<br>Other buses pulled up and older kids emerged, making me feel even smaller than I had felt earlier. I gently squeezed Madoka's hand and she looked at me anxiously, "Are you okay?"  
>"Yeah, I'm just a bit afraid too, I guess."<br>"It's okay, we can do it!"  
>"Of course we can."<br>I released my grip on her hand, and grabbed my backpack, facing the bus hall. She grasped the handle of her's and lead the way to the door, where we waited for the line of kids to get out.  
>"Hey," said a voice behind me.<br>"Huh?" I glanced behind, to face a tall kid with white hair, and a small section of bright red. His golden eyes pierced into mine, and his black clothes and lab-coat cloak, intimidated me,  
>"You're Ginka Hagane, right?"<br>"Yes?" I warily answered.  
>His face darkened, "Stay out of my way, Kid." He then pushed me to get through, causing me to take a couple steps backwards to keep from falling.<br>_What was that all about?_  
>Madoka saw the scene and her eyes filled with fear. I took her hand into mine,<br>"That was nothing really," I told her, before leading her inside the school.  
>It turned out that I had told the truth; it really was nothing-compared to what craziness awaited us inside…<p>

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><p><strong>So this is a little section at the end, that I just decided to make. I'll answer questions here from the reviews according to the chapter reviewed. Since, that's pretty much it, I'll just answer them now.<strong>

**From Sfinge:** How many years are Ginka and the others in the story?

**(I actually answered this in the next chapter, but I'll answer it here again just for reference) Ginka and the others are between the ages of 4 and 6 depending on their age in the anime. For example, Kenta and Yu are 4, Ginka and Masumune are 5, and Ryuga and Kyouya are 6.**

**That's all the questions for this chapter :).**


	2. Deskmates

Welcome to Chapter 2! This intro won't be that long; I just need to go over a few things. First of all, I need to point out that ahoge is the term for that little strand of hair that sticks up in anime or manga. You probably know that already; it's just the little crescent-shaped piece of hair that's usually on the top or side of the head. Just keep that in mind when reading this. (Just in case the reader doesn't know what an ahoge is)

The name Taifu means Hurricane in Japanese. Right now in the story, it doesn't mean much, but it'll become symbolic later on.

I know that Deskmate isn't a real word XD, but it makes sense in the context that it's used. Also, I like the word. Deskmate just a term for a person sharing one desk with another.

I received a question about the character's ages in a review and I'll answer it here for reference. (Thank you for the kind reviews, by the way :D) They're all around 4, 5, or 6 in age, depending on their actual age in the show. (Example: Kenta and Yuu-4, Ginka and Masumune-5, Kyouya and Ryuga-6)

Also, I forgot to write a disclaimer in the first chapter, so this is for both of them: I do not own Metal Fight Beyblade.

Enjoy! :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Deskmates<strong>

We passed through many hallways, asking for directions once or twice, before finally reaching our room.  
>'Room 7-Kindergarten,' it read.<br>"This is it," I told Madoka.  
>My mother taught me to read at the tender age of three years old and I had practiced hard, especially after her death, to be able to read more and more. In spite of this, I usually hid the skill, as not to seem too smart or stuck up for my age. Right now I only hoped that I wouldn't be the only kid in the class reading more advanced writing.<p>

We entered the room to find about fifteen kids all arranged in assigned seating.  
>Again, the small feeling filled me. I tightened my grip on Madoka's hand again.<p>

"We can do this," I told her, trying to appear strong. She smiled at me, blushing as usual,

"T-thanks Ginka, let's work hard."

The location of our desks promptly separated us; my desk being in the back of the classroom and Madoka's in the front. But it didn't stop her from giving me one last smile before she timidly shuffled to her seat. Each desk sat three students and there appeared to be about five of them. I quickly found the way to mine, sat down in the middle, and flopped my backpack under the desk. I looked to my right and found my first deskmate to be a boy about my height, bearing raven black hair with white highlights and a single strand of red hanging in his face. His coffee-brown eyes were focused on his picture of a unicorn that he was drawing and his green hoodie hung loosely on his small frame. He wore tan baggy pants with a stripe of navy blue and an orange undershirt, complete with black shoes. Immediately aware of my presence, he turned to me and grinned.  
>"Hey there! Wow, I guess we'll be sharing a desk for a while, huh? Do you want to hear a joke?"<p>

"Uh, sure?" I didn't know what else to say; this was sudden.

"Great! Okay, Knock-Knock!"

"Who's there?"

"Banana."

"Banana who?"

"Knock-Knock!"

"Who's there?"

"Banana."

I frowned; didn't he just say that already?

"Banana who?"

"Knock-Knock!"

"Who's there?"

"Orange."

_Now he's switching fruits…_

"Orange who?"

He bit his lip to keep from bursting out into laughter,

"O-orange you glad I-ha ha-didn't say banana!"

The boy's face crinkled up and he went into spasms of laughter, banging his tan-gloved fist on the desk, "Ha! You fell for it! I can't believe you actually fell for that joke!" I raised an eyebrow and left him to his cackling to see who my other desk mate was. He was a tall boy, with a short, silver ponytail and two, thick strands of hair on either side of his face that came to his chin. His shirt was maroon with purple accents and he had long, cream colored pants, with small yellow rectangles on the sides, tucked into worn, brown boots. On his arm he wore a strange green box on a black band that seemed to contain something, and brown gloves, similar to my other deskmate, that protruded a good five inches from his hand, and exposed his fingers. His honey-golden eyes were intent on the book that he was reading, which I noticed quickly.

_So, there is another here on a higher reading level. _

It wasn't long before he noticed my staring. Eyes turning to meet mine, he extended his hand to greet me. I returned the handshake, feeling the strength in his grip.  
>"My name is Tsubasa. It's nice to meet you, Ginka Hagane," he greeted, with a strange glint in his eye.<br>"How did you know my name?" I asked, confused.  
>He didn't respond, as he had returned to his book.<br>_Odd._  
>Still mystified, I turned back to the kid next to me, who had finally stopped cracking up and was now finishing up his unicorn.<br>The majestic horse's green coat and mane blended in nicely with the blue background, and it appeared to be rearing it's hooves in the air.  
>"Wow, you're a good artist!" I told him.<br>He looked up at me and covered his picture with his hand,  
>"Hey, you can't look at this yet! It's for the animal presentation! I want it to be a surprise!"<br>"Animal presentation?"  
>He looked confused, "Yeah, we're supposed to draw a picture of our favorite animal to show the class and we have to say why it's our favorite."<br>My eyes opened wide, "Oh darn!" As quickly as possible, before our teacher came, I pulled out a piece of paper and some crayons and began to draw my favorite animal-a Pegasus of course.  
>"Wow, you're such a ditz, dude, how could you miss that message?" The kid reprimanded me.<br>"Well, excuuuuuse me, Mr. Know-it-all! I didn't even get it, so there! Hey," I looked at him, my annoyance gone, "I don't even know your name. I'm Ginka." I put my blue crayon down and extended my hand out to him. He gave it a gentle slap, knocking it away,  
>"Sorry, I don't do handshakes. I'm Masumune Kadoya, the world's number one blader, and I bet you couldn't even last three seconds beyblading with me."<br>His slap shocked me a little, but I was already getting used to Masumune's selfish attitude, "So, you're a blader too?"  
>"Uh, duh, who isn't?"<br>This was so strange.

I had grown up with kids that didn't even know what beyblade was and today I had already met two kids that loved it.  
>"Well, I just thought-"<br>"You are so dense, Ginka. I can't believe that you didn't even know that I was a blader! Can't you tell from my aura? You should be able to know just from looking at me! Seriously, at this school, some friends told me they have big beyblading competitions at recess. So most kids here have beyblades, and many of them have been playing it for years and are really good. But of course," he pointed his thumb to himself, "I, Masumune, will defeat them all with one hit, because I'm in a much higher level than all of them combined."  
>I seriously doubted his words,<br>"Oh really?"  
>"You shouldn't think so highly of yourself," Tsubasa's voice interrupted. The both of us turned to him, who didn't even take his eyes off his book, "It's important to enter into situations with a humble attitude, so you won't be setting yourself up for an embarrassing failure."<br>"Oh yeah? So, are you saying that you're better than us?" Masumune argued.  
>"I never said that," his head lowered. Voice calm, he faced us now, golden eyes drilling specifically into Masumune's. The black-haired blader shirked back a bit. "I only want to warn you about your attitude."<br>"Well, you can keep out of our business; we're good, thanks," Masumune said, dismissing Tsubasa's advice.  
>Tsubasa turned back to his book, not saying another word. His face remained expressionless.<br>I agreed with Tsubasa, but I didn't have time to tell him, because as my mouth opened to speak, our teacher walked in.  
>"Good Morning, class," spoke the tall man. In my whole life, I had never seen someone so dressed up. He wore a black suit, ironed to perfection, each crease in perfect proportion to his wide shoulders and tall frame. A snow-white shirt underneath the suit jacket and a tie of amethyst purple complimented his ensemble nicely. His hair of raven-black slicked back with no faults matched his dress shoes shining their polished onyx tips brilliantly. Hands folded professionally, he smiled very dignified and his brown eyes met the class'.<p>

"Welcome to Hurricane Kindergarten, class. My name is Mr. Taifu, and I expect you all to behave well. Any misbehaving or failure to complete homework on time will result in the student's arranged meeting to Principal Daidoji's office."

The class chorused with a, "Yes, sir!"

His words were so big; I wondered at how I would understand him with my small vocabulary. However, in spite of my doubts, it only made me more excited to learn.

Mr. Taifu grinned a little, "Well then, shall we proceed with our animal project?"  
>"Yes!" squealed a few kids.<br>"Who would like to go first?" He asked the class, rubbing at his defectless, French-style mustache.  
>A small kid raised his petite hand first, "Can I go Mr. Taifu?"<br>"Kenta Yumiya? You may go first."  
>Cheeks glowing, Kenta stood up, carrying a paper in hand.<br>Kenta was probably the smallest kid in class with a head full of bright green hair and a small ahoge. His shirt was yellow with a zigzagging blue stripe and he wore blue baggy shorts. His shoes were brown and simple, and his deep cocoa eyes were full of excitement to share his project. Grinning huge, he showed the class his picture with a passion.  
>It was a drawing of a deer running across a green meadow against a gorgeous sunset of pink and purple with a golden sun in the middle. The deer was small, but looked brave and a symbol of an arrow could be picked out, nearly hidden in the grass.<br>In all, it was beautiful.  
>"My favorite animal is a deer," Kenta beamed, "because of its quick movements, speed, and determination."<br>"Very good Kenta," Mr. Taifu praised. I thought his praise was wimpy, because the picture really was gorgeous.  
>Kenta's expression didn't change though and he flounced down, still smiling.<br>"Who would like to go next?"  
>None of the kids raised their hands, so Mr. Taifu had to call on someone, "Kyouya? How about you?"<br>A boy just a bit taller than me stood up abruptly, his crazy dark green hair whipping into his face with his sharp movement. He was garbed in a short, jet-black shirt with cut up edges and a long, bright green colored vest of the same hem. His cream colored pants were also frayed at the edges and led down to his brown shoes. Around his neck, he wore a strange silver necklace and black arm warmers under his short brown gloves. Intense blue eyes stared straight ahead of him, until he diverted them to the class and held out his picture-a lion.  
>"My favorite animal is a lion because it's superior to all other animals, has great strength, and has been called king of the jungle." His eyes seemed to be staring straight into mine and I looked away because something about the eye contact intimidated me. The picture of the lion was magnificent. It featured a golden lion with a caramel colored mane flying in the wind, as it roared towards the sky. The jungle around it was dense and the little light that it let in provided a soft spotlight for the regal lion. Somehow, it fit Kyouya quite well.<br>"Very good Kyouya, you can sit down," our teacher told him. Kyouya's deep blue eyes stared right into mine for a moment, before jerking away quickly. He proceeded to take his seat, hands in pockets and a visible smirk emerging on his face.  
><em>Kyouya...who is he?<em>

A couple others went afterwards, like a large boy who liked bulls, a pretty girl that liked dolphins, and another boy who liked rams, but I just couldn't get my mind off Kyouya's stare and his lion-until the last boy went.  
>"Ryuga? Would you be our last sharer?"<br>Ryuga, who appeared to be the boy who had pushed me on the bus, stood up and smirked a big, eerie smile. His gleaming black shirt, pants, and boots flashed in the light as he moved to the front of the classroom. The white, lab-coat cloak flowed behind him and it seemed that lightning itself flashed when his electric eyes met the class'.  
>"My favorite animal is a Dragon because of the way that it destroys everything in its path," he boomed, showing his picture to the class. A couple kids let out a short gasp at the picture of three purple dragons with red eyes, smirking in the sky and ruined buildings behind them. It was a frightening picture and it seemed strange that this boy would draw it. Then, like with Kyouya, I felt my eyes met by Ryuga and I shivered, before disconnecting the eye contact.<br>"That's very interesting, Ryuga, thanks for sharing," Mr. Taifu dismissed him, "Alright class, look in your desks and pull out your math books to page 1. We'll be learning the numbers today…"  
>School time felt like a blur to me as I couldn't get my mind off Kyouya and Ryuga. Something was definitely strange about those two and I was determined to figure it out.<p>

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><p><strong>Another question!<strong>

**From interrobangs:** Is Hikaru the one who likes dolphins?

**We'll just have to wait and see... :)**


	3. Recess Battle

Chapter 3! Well, there's not much to say here this time. I just wanted to thank you awesome people for your reviews :). They are very encouraging! Well that's all! (Sorry about the short intro this time :D)

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Recess Battle<strong>

"File yourselves out quietly for recess break, once you've cleaned up your lunch area," Mr. Taifu said, in his usual dignified manner.  
>I quickly threw out my trash, and was headed back to my desk when Masumune cut in front of me, us face to face once again,"Hey! Ginka! Do you want me to show you where the battles take place during recess? Because of course, only I would know out of all these <em>kindergarteners<em>," he smugly stated.  
>"Sure, could I bring my friend Madoka, too?"<br>"Yeah, but she probably won't like it. It's mostly boys and then there's this one girl, but she's not so good."  
>Raising an eyebrow at Masumune's mean remark, I nodded my head, "Thanks, I'll ask her anyway; she's really shy, but really nice."<br>"Whatever, but I'm warning you, she'll hate it a-Ooo! Panda!" Masumune literally bounded off towards a nearby panda plushie that a girl was holding.  
>After a quick, and much needed, face palm, I was off to find Madoka. The class would be headed out for recess soon and I wanted to find her before they split up onto the huge playgroundfield. It wasn't hard to find her-she was blushing/talking with Kenta, the green haired kid from before.  
>"Mhm, I want to be beyblade mechanic, so I've studied lot's of parts and programmed it onto this little computer that my dad gave me for Christmas, so I can analyze information and learn more about the tops," her eyes sparkled with passion, "I really love them a lot."<br>Kenta grinned, "That's pretty cool. I just want to learn how to battle with them better, is all."  
>"That's a good goal. Oh, there's Ginka! Hi!" Madoka waved me over and I entered into the conversation.<br>"Hey you two, how's it going?"  
>"Oh quite well, Ginka, thanks. Have you met Kenta?" she motioned to the short, rosy cheeked kid, smiling happily.<br>"It's nice to meet you Ginka! I really liked your Pegasus picture."  
>"Hey thanks, Kenta! It's nice to meet you too," I said, happily glancing down at him, "Your picture of a deer was pretty cool."<br>"Thanks."  
>"So, do you want to check out the battle area?" I asked Madoka, "The kid that sits at my desk, Masumune, said he'll show us, but I should warn you," I half-rolled my eyes, "He's a little…self centered."<br>"Sure sounds good," Madoka agreed, "Do you want to come, Kenta?"  
>The younger, green haired boy eagerly nodded, "Yes!"<br>"Let's go then, we're losing time," I gently urged. Our classroom was nearly empty, save a few girls chatting in the corner, and I was convinced that they had started early without us.  
>"Follow me!" I called to Madoka and Kenta, breaking into a run. We burst through the outside door, as free as cheetahs-until Masumune grabbed my shirt collar,<br>"What took you so long? They're going to start soon!"  
>"S-sorry," I apologized, a bit taken back. Us foursome ran, all following Masumune, through the field and a visible forest up ahead.<br>"So, does everyone in our class battle?" I asked him, panting and curious.  
>"Yeah, pretty much. All of us really like beyblade, well-" he stopped for a minute and turned back, "Everyone battles except for him," his finger pointed to Tsubasa, sitting on a nearby bench, still reading the same book, "He's weird. He just sits there and reads the same book every day. He's read it so many times that it's falling out; just look at it! And no one really knows what it's about. In fact, only two of my friends have seen him battle and they said that he beat everyone in under a minute," his eyes grew wide, "even Ryuga."<br>Kenta's face frowned, "Even…Ryuga? The Dragon Boy?"  
>Masumune nodded, "Yeah, but I'm sure that I could take Ryuga on and beat him easily. Tsubasa's just being a coward."<br>Masumune began running again, but I glanced back at Tsubasa for a second, still in wonder about his strange accomplishment. Tsubasa looked up, returned the eye contact, and smirked. A tiny eagle rested on his shoulder and it let out a loud cry that made me jump a bit. Mystified, I hurried to catch up to Masumune and to get Tsubasa out of my mind.  
>"Here we are!" Masumune announced.<br>Each one of us newbies let out a gasp of awe at the interesting place. The north, east, and west was a deep-green forest and the south side lead back to the field. In the center of the squared area, there was a huge tree stump with a bowl-like shape carved into it and about fifty kids of grades K to 4th all gathered around, their beyblades clashing against each other in the disk. I felt the excitement of everyone there pulsing in my being and I breathed in the scent of battle.  
>I was psyched.<br>"Hey, Ginka! Over here, you dumbbell!" Masumune called, motioning towards a tall oak tree. Grimacing a little at his insult, I joined him along with Madoka and Kenta.  
>"They're doing tag-team battles today," Masumune stated with a know-it-all tone, "So what're our pairings going to be?"<br>"I'm fine with whoever," I told him, trying to be flexible.  
>"Well, if either of you pair with me, then you'll win-guaranteed, so you should probably do a rock, paper, scissors to see who I'll pair with," he suggested.<br>"I don't think-"  
>"Let's do it Ginka!" Kenta begged, eyes all aglow.<br>All I had to do was look at Kenta's shining face to forget about Masumune's selfishness and soon our hands were facing each other like bladers before a match.  
>"Rock, Paper, Scissors-Shoot!" we chanted, extending our fingers to our chosen attack. Kenta's hand flattened out to a paper and my fist closed into a rock.<br>"It seems that you win," I grinned, secretly glad that I didn't have to put up with Masumune.  
>"Yay! This is going to be so fun!" Kenta bubbled.<br>"Nice job, Kenta," Madoka grinned.  
>Masumune swatted his hand at me, as if he were a king, "Oh, sorry Ginka. It seems that I'm with Kenta, so there's no chance of you winning. Maybe you can pair with me tomorrow."<br>"Thanks, Masumune," I said, slowly edging away, "but it's fine; I'm going to find someone else to pair up with."  
>"Fine, fine; suit yourself," he said smugly, taking Kenta and Madoka to a different part of the area.<br>I let out a sigh of total and utter relief before walking around a bit in search of a partner.  
><em>The guy with the weird crab cloak? Eh, nah.<br>Maybe the one with the lollypop in his mouth? Actually, that's a little weird…  
>Kyoya?<em>  
>I stopped, my eyes turning to the taller blader, standing on the other side of the tree stump. He didn't look like he was partnered with anyone and he seemed to be fairly decent at battling-<br>"Ow! What the heck?"  
>Surprised, I glanced down and saw that I had bumped into a younger boy, causing him to fall smack down on the ground.<br>"Woah, sorry; let me help you," I apologized quickly, reaching my hand out to help him up.  
>"No need," he mumbled, a bit annoyed, "I'm used to it by now." His emerald eyes looked into mine and I realized that this kid was from my class.<br>"Hey aren't you…what was your name…Lou? Sue? Dude? Food-"  
>"It's Yu! Got that? It's not that hard of a name to memorize! We actually use it all the time in the English language, you know!"<br>I blinked at him in surprise; he sure was a feisty little guy,  
>"Oh, sorry."<br>His eyebrows were furrowed below his untamed blondish/reddish hair, and his pale, small hands were tightened into little fists, nearly hidden by his long, snow-white sleeves with the blue cuffs. He had a lime shirt underneath his jacket, a blue collar matching the cuffs, and a half-belt of green, kept in place by red dots. Yu's shorts ended just a little after his knees, tiny rectangles matching his belt, and his small sneakers of blue and grey ended his attire. After a few inhalations, the young boy calmed down and he smiled like a completely different person,  
>"Anyway, I'm looking for someone to battle with!" he chirped, bouncing a little, "Would you like to partner up?"<br>Confused, I ensued a brief stare before readily agreeing,  
>"Sure, I was looking for a partner too!"<br>_How could his mood change that fast?_  
>"Great! Let's go to the stump; it'll start soon."<br>"O-okay."  
>I let my rusty haired partner lead the way to the huge tree stump with the bowl-shaped bey-arena carved into it. Many kids had gathered around, all partnered up, and the huge crowd of guys and girls watching, created a circle around us. One 4th grader stood up on an old folding chair and raised his hand to the sky. His orange hat and deep blue shirt with the white letters "BB" on it, clashed, but he definitely stood out in this crowd.<br>"Alright everyone! Gather around! We're about to start! We have a total of ten teams and I'll be announcing them briefly. But first, a word from our sponsor!"  
>Three kids held up a primitive sign with the words, "Cookie Monster" scribbled onto it and a picture of the infamous muppet sketched next to the words. A 2nd grader stood behind the picture and imitated Cookie Monster's, "Eat cookies everybody! Omnomnomnomnom!"<br>Everyone stared and it became so quiet that I could hear "Cookie Monster" kid's embarrassed breathing.  
><em>Awkward silence…<em>  
>The rustle of the leaves in the bright green trees reminded me to stay focused and the announcing kid soon continued,<br>"Uh, yeah, thanks for that. Ahem, our first team! Hikaru and Hyoma!"  
>Two kids from my class (the girl that liked dolphins and the boy that liked rams) stepped forward, the kids cheering.<br>"Our second team! Kyoya and Benkei!"  
>Kyoya and a large boy, with a little bit of bright purple hair protruding from his beanie hat, stepped forward, not saying a word; in perfect sync.<br>I shivered.  
>"Tetsuya and Tobio!"<br>The crab-guy and lollypop kid seemed to be in some sort of argument.

"I told you! We should name us: The Crab-inators!"

"No! I sad Sharpshooters!"

"Crab-inators!"

"Sharpshooters!"

Another awkward silence emerged and a few kids walked away whispering.  
>Announcer kid cleared his throat,<br>"Um, yeah. The next team is Kenta and Masumune!"  
>A couple kids cheered, even though Masumune ejaculated with a loud,<br>"Hey! I'm the world's number one blader! I should be mentioned before Kenta!"  
>No one really seemed to care, though.<br>"Next up: Ginka and Yuu!"  
>Yuu giggled and waved to all the girls, who were gushing over his "adorableness", and I just waved to avoid looking awkward.<br>A few other teams were mentioned, but they were all forgotten when the last team was announced.  
>"And finally, our champion pair! Ryuga and Reji!"<br>The crowd hushed as the two fearsome bladers strided forward. Ryuga's eyes were full of a strange, creepy excitement and his mouth was twisted into a terrible smirk. The boy next to him, whom I assumed to be Reji, had strange red hair with mustard-yellow tips and blue-green eyes dyed near the top of his head, and it all fell into his face, completely covering his eyes with the occasional flash of gold iris's. His shirt was white and his pants were long, black, and shiny. All in all, these two were very intimidating and I was a little nervous to see how well they battled.  
>"Okay, bladers, prepare yourselves!" Announcer kid called out.<br>I pulled out my dark blue launcher and attached Pegasus to the wheel, staring at Ryuga the whole time. He attached his bey to his launcher and prepared himself as well. An insane-looking smirk became apparent on his face and I felt a twinge of fear.  
>"Okay ready? 3..."<br>_Deep breath. Concentrate._  
>"…2..."<br>_Show no fear. Show no doubt._  
>"…1..."<br>I pulled back the rip-cord as hard as I could and shouted along with the rest of the bladers, releasing my bey into the arena,  
>"Let it rip!"<br>I decided to finish off as many at once as I could, hoping that Ryuga would be one of them,  
>"Pegasus! Star-blast attack!"<br>I watched as my bey glowed a blue aura and bounced off the edge of the stadium into the sky, before shooting back almost too fast to see.  
>As it smashed into the ground of the tree stump, about ten beys went flying at once, leaving only a select few bladers still standing.<br>Many of the kids stared at me in awe of my attack power.  
>"Special Move! King Lion Tearing Blast!"<br>_What__?..._  
>I whipped around, nearly losing my bandana in the process, to see Kyouya's bey start a huge tornado about three times my height. A couple more beys went flying, leaving only Yu, Kyouya, Ryuga, Reji, and me.<br>"Hey! Ginkie! How about I distract Mr. Yoyo over there, and you sneak up behind and attack?" Yu suggested, using nicknames for both Kyouya and me.  
>"What? Ginkie?"<br>"Don't you even know your own name, Ginkie? Besides, you didn't answer my question! Listen to me!"  
>"Oh, right. Uh, sure! You distract Kyouya and I'll sneak up behind and attack."<br>I watched as Yu's bey, a yellow Libra, swerved up to Kyouya's, a Leone, and teased it with quick back and forth movements, Leone falling into Yu's trap nicely. Kyouya's bey followed Yu, trying to slam him out of the arena, but Yu's movements were too quick. Slowly, I directed Pegasus to ram into Leone from behind to surprise Kyouya and eliminate him from the competition.  
>"Go Pegasus!"<br>Pegasus was just about to make contact with Leone when-  
>"Leone!"<br>Kyouya's bey darted quickly out of the way and he boomed taunting laughter at Yu and I,  
>"How stupid do you two think I am? I heard every bit of your "plan"; it's a small area, you know."<br>Leone started glowing with a green aura and quickly headed towards Libra with an unmatchable speed. Yu saw and attempted to block it with his own move,  
>"Libra-"<br>It was too late.  
>Libra was knocked out quickly and Yu was eliminated from the battle. He stared at his still bey, wide-eyed and he frowned deeply,<br>"I…lost to…YOYO?" He crossed his arms and let a childish grimace creep onto his face, eyeing Kyouya, "I can't believe my luck…"  
>His emerald eyes darted to Reji for a second, who hissed at Yu, staring straight at him. The young boy's eyes filled with a deep fear and he stepped back to hide behind me.<br>"Yu, what're you-" I really couldn't say anything else though, as Kyouya was keeping me busy with my defense abilities. I took a quick glance at the other beys still left in the stadium and noted that Reji's and Ryuga's were both still alive and headed for Kyouya and I.  
>I stared into Kyouya's ocean-blue eyes for a moment and we shared a knowing glance. Our attitudes rapidly changed to team-like and we took on Ryuga and Reji, together.<br>"Lion Wild Wind Fang Dance!" Kyouya shouted, Leone headed straight for Reji. He nodded in my direction and I proceeded with my own attack,  
>"Pegasus Storm Bringer!"<br>Both Leone and Pegasus were spinning rapidly, directly towards both Ryuga and Reji's beys.  
>Ryuga scoffed,<br>"Heh. You two will have to do better than that. How old do you think I am? Five?"  
>"Um, actually-"<br>"Forget that statement!" Ryuga sneered, "I'm getting bored, so I think I'll end this now. Reji?"  
>Reji nodded, his soft hair bouncing a little, and a sly smile spread across his face,<br>"Serpent! Venom Strike!"  
>His bey, a deadly green serpent, crashed into Kyouya's, seeming to drill into the very center of it.<br>"Leone!" Kyouya gasped in alarm, glancing to look at Reji, "What are you doing?"  
>Reji let out a sharp, but quiet laugh, the smirk on his face growing bigger.<br>"Kyouya!" I cried, worried about my temporary team-mate.  
>"Dark Move…"<br>I jerked to face Ryuga, whose hands were filling with a strange, purple, orb-shaped energy.  
>"What?"<br>"Dragon Emperor Soaring Bite Strike!" He shouted, the energy flowing into the sky above us as swift as a lightning bolt. The sky cleared and there was nothing.  
>Just moments later, the deafening sound of thunder boomed through the sky and a flash of violet lightning hit the arena, causing my bey to waver greatly.<br>"Hold on Pegasus!" I shouted, worried about Ryuga's attack.  
><em>Pegasus can't spin in this energy. Is this where I lose?<em>  
>"Recess is over! Come back inside children!"<br>Ryuga frowned a little, before retrieving his bey from the tree stump and motioning for Reji to follow him back to the school. Reji followed, a strange hiss escaping his lips, and the two walked on, Ryuga pushing a kid out of his way once.  
>"Well, it seems that there was a tie today! Thank you to all who participated!" announcing kid finished, before darting away to the school.<p>

Awestruck, I removed Pegasus from the arena and stared at the blue, glossy bey, deep in thought.  
><em>Did I really almost lose to…Ryuga?<em>  
>All I could see were the faces of those fearsome dragons.<p> 


	4. Ice Cream

**Okay! This is probably going to be the shortest introduction yet. There's really not much to say here. So! On that note, enjoy! (hahaha I laugh at my fail of an introduction :D) Oh well...**

**I do not own Metal Fight Beyblade**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Ice-Cream<strong>

"Alright class, you are dismissed for the day. I can't wait to see you again tomorrow; bye now," Mr. Taifu droned, very obviously bored.  
>My first day of Kindergarten was officially over.<br>"Wahoo!" Masumune cheered, thrusting his hands into the air and motioning something between a fist pump and the wave.  
>I just kinda looked at him with a funny expression on my face.<br>_Okay then…_  
>Tsubasa neatly put his books away into his backpack and headed out of the room, not even saying goodbye. Yu followed him, babbling things like, "Hey! Tsubasa! Did you see the battle today? I was totally cleaning it up…"<br>_Weird, I didn't know they knew each other. Strange mix of people…_  
>Glancing to the other side of the room, I noticed Kyouya leaving alone, his backpack hooked on his shoulder. He stopped a minute and whipped around as if he knew all along that I was looking in his direction. I gulped as his ever blue eyes met mine and a mysterious smirk slowly filled his face, prior to his exit of the classroom.<p>

"Ginka!"  
>I looked up to find myself face to face with Madoka, Kenta, and Masumune.<br>"Hey you guys, what's up?"  
>Kenta grinned; his thumbs tugging at the straps of his backpack,<br>"We were wondering if you wanted to take a quick walk through the park before heading for home."  
>Madoka blushed a little, as she always seemed to do when she spoke,<br>"Kenta said he knows of a really cool spot where the view of the park lake is pretty."  
>Putting his hands on his hips, Masumune grinned,<br>"And I'm just coming along for kicks!"  
>I finished dumping my books and pencils in my bag before smiling at them,<br>"Sure, sounds great."  
>"Cool, let's go then," Masumune urged us.<br>We walked out of the school, quickly thanking Mr. Taifu for teaching, and continued down the road that led to the park of the small town that we lived in. The gardens were in full bloom and the marigold's orange color mixed beautifully with the red of the roses, accompanied by the lemon-yellow of the dandelions. But the flowers were only a frame to the luscious green flora and sparkling clear lake that this park was home to. Aqua skies reflected off the water, adding a blue to the visual painting, and white puffs of clouds dotted them, like cotton candy. People jogged along the road that winded around the lake, and a few walked their dogs, while others sat on park benches just taking in the natural beauty.  
>"Wow," was all I could really say.<br>"So, Ginka, you lasted pretty long-ish in the battle today," Masumune began, hands in pockets, walking to my right. Our footsteps echoed against the red-brick path.  
>"I guess, but I probably would've lost to Ryuga if it wasn't for the end of recess."<br>As if completely deaf to my sentence, Masumune continued,  
>"And just so you know, I was only knocked out early because this kid was targeting Kenta and the only way to save him, was to take the attack for him. So I was knocked out for a good cause."<br>Kenta frowned,  
>"Masumune, you were hiding behind my bey! And when Hyouma attacked, I swerved out of the way and you lost."<br>"I didn't lose!" Masumune whined, "I was knocked out saving you-"  
>I face palmed and turned to Madoka, who was right by the lake, staring into the depths of blue lake water,<br>"Hey."  
>She whipped around, brunette hair catching in her face,<br>"Oh hello," her sky-blue eyes met the water once again, "I was just looking at the way the water reflects images," she pulled out a sleek, touch screen computer with a pointer pen, and a keyboard, "Because the technique of reflecting images can be used in beyblade to trick an opponent into seeing a copy image of the bey, when in actuality, the bey is in a different location."  
>Surprised at her knowledge, I opened my eyes in amazement,<br>"Wow, you really know your stuff!"  
>She blushed a little, soft pink flowing into her pale cheeks,<br>"T-thanks."  
>"So, what's holding you back?"<br>Madoka looked down at her shoes and closed her computer,  
>"Well, I-"<br>"Hey guys!"  
>The both of us turned to face Masumune and Kenta, who were finally done arguing and appeared to have found Yu and Tsubasa.<br>"Ginkie!" Yu squealed, running to hug me. I was embraced, and nearly suffocated, as the younger blader's cheek squished into my shirt.  
>"H-hey Yu."<br>Tsubasa just stood there silent; his eyes seeming to analyze my every feature.  
>I gulped.<br>This was making me nervous.  
>Yu, Madoka, and I rejoined the group; Yu babbling about every little thing one could possibly babble about,<br>"It's so cool that we found you! I dragged Tsubasa here hoping to find an ice cream truck, but we couldn't find one, so then we walked through the park until I suggested the supermarket for ice cream, so we were headed there, but then we bumped into you! And I'm so happy, because you're awesome and wow, did you get a haircut already? Your hair looks so cool, Ginkie! I really hate my hair because it just sticks out everywhere and-"  
>"Woah, slow down, squirt!" Masumune interrupted, thrusting out his hand to the 'stop' position.<br>Yu looked up at the older blader and glared, his thin eyebrows narrowing,  
>"Who're you calling squirt? I beat you in the battle today, so that makes me more qualified to call YOU squirt! There! Ha! How do you like that, Squirt!"<br>Masumune's eye twitched a little,  
>"For the last time! I didn't lose the battle, I just got knocked out for Kenta's sake! Seriously, why won't any of you listen to me? I'm the world's number 1 blader! I don't <em>lose<em>."  
>Yuu giggled,<br>"Wow, you're such a faker. Well, if that makes you feel better about yourself, then that's just-."  
>"Yu, that's enough," came Tsubasa's calm voice.<br>The rusty haired kid grimaced a bit at Tsubasa, but he eventually calmed at least a little bit.  
>"Do you two want to join us?" I asked, trying to break the awkwardnessfighting, "We were just walking through the park."  
>"No, actually-" Tsubasa started.<br>"Sure! I want to ask you about the battle, Ginkie! You were so cool to last so long!" Yu gushed, completely ignoring his older companion.  
>Kenta pulled out his beyblade and a solemn expression creeped into his face as he stared into it,<br>"I can't believe that I lost so quickly. I guess I'm just not cut out for beyblade."  
>Madoka gently put her hand on his shoulder,<br>"Kenta, it just takes practice to be able to blade well."  
>I agreed,<br>"Also, you need to always remember that there are really strong bladers out there, and to never let your guard down."  
>Kenta's copper eyes sparkled with new energy,<br>"I guess you're right, thanks. Hey! I want to practice right now!"  
>Masumune stopped petting a nearby dog that kind of looked like a panda, and turned to Kenta, beyblade in hand,<br>"Oh! Me too! Let's do it right now, Kenta!"  
>The green haired blader nodded, a determination filling his eyes,<br>"Okay!"  
>Yu hopped a little, pulling out his launcher and throwing his hands in the sky,<br>"Oh yeah! Let's do this!"  
>I attached Pegasus to my launcher and directed it towards the battle area; a sidewalk,<br>"Don't forget me!"  
>Madoka pulled out her computer and started typing like crazy, analyzing every little thing about our beys.<br>Her soft hair bounced as she worked and her frost eyes were intent on the screen. Tsubasa stood next to her, arms crossed and lemon-eyes peering as if into our very minds.  
>"Do you want to battle too, Tsubasa?" I asked, trying to include him.<br>"No," came his short answer, "I'll just watch."  
>"Okay then," I turned back to my opponents: Kenta, Masumune, and Yu.<br>_I wonder why he won't battle…_  
>Masumune's face was sneering and he put on his best I'm-so-much-better-than-all-of-you face,<br>"Unfortunately, this battle probably won't last very long since I'm going to win pretty quickly."  
>"Is that so?" I asked him, itching to facepalm.<br>Kenta giggled a little and Yu stomped his foot impatiently,  
>"Let's start already!"<br>"Okay!" I agreed, launcher in place, "Ready? 3 2 1-"  
>"Let it rip!" shouted all.<br>The beys zoomed as quick as the wind into the arena, the sweet sound of clashing metal reaching my ears.  
>"Go Pegasus!" I called.<br>Although I was trying to focus on the battle, all I could see was the face of Ryuga, laughing at my skill.  
><em>"You're gonna have to do better than that to beat me!" he had said.<em>  
>I was almost defeated by that energy; what was it? Why was he so powerful?<br>"Sagittario, Flame Claw!"  
>My thoughts were abruptly brought back to the battle and I tried to keep my mind focused.<br>Kenta's bey glowed a bright yellow color and was headed Pegasus' way so fast, it was if Sagittario were blazing with fire-y flames.  
>"Pegasus!"<br>My blue bey swerved out of the way just in time, and I was still in the match. Wiping my forehead in relief, I resumed attacking.  
>Or, at least I tried to.<br>_Dragons…_  
>My thoughts returned to the dragons of destruction. It was as if they had taken my energy, but even more than that: my confidence. I felt like I didn't even have the will to battle any longer. And in a few short moments, I just couldn't take it anymore.<br>"I'm sorry guys," I retrieved my bey, and tucked my launcher onto my belt, "I can't do this right now."  
>I felt frustration at the unknown and I knew that I needed to rest and think a bit more.<br>"What's the matter, Ginkie? You look a little pale; did something happen all of a sudden?" Yu asked, seeming to care a lot more then usual.  
>Madoka promptly closed her computer and hurried over to feel my forehead,<br>"You don't have a fever…"  
>"Heh, I'm fine. Just a little tired, I guess. I'll see you guys tomorrow."<br>Masumune had a confused look on his face up till now, but he began spasms of laughter now and he held his stomach, hunched over.  
>"What's wrong with you?" I asked, wondering if I would even understand his reasons.<br>"H-ha ha ha, I just-ha-thought about-dwaha-a panda hugging-ha ha-a turtle!"  
>Everyone was silent, but Masumune who ended up falling onto the ground, in tears over his imagery.<br>"Well then," I said, after a few moments of awkward silence, "I'll leave you now, sorry about this."  
>I turned to walk away, embarrassed that I was leaving them like this. I was embarrassed that I couldn't control my feelings during a battle and that I let my thoughts distract me.<br>"Ginka."  
>I instinctively whipped around at the sound of my name.<br>Tsubasa had stepped forward and he pointed in my direction,  
>"Don't let Ryuga get to you. That's what he wants."<br>_Woah._  
>"How did you-" I babbled, wide-eyed.<br>The corner of his mouth turned up a little into a half-grin,  
>"He is a formidable opponent. And he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants."<br>Yuu took a new interest in the silver-haired blader,  
>"How do you know that, Tsubasa?"<br>Tsubasa crossed his arms, and looked down, frowning,  
>"Because I knew him once; at least, I knew the real him," he looked up and stared right into my eyes, his golden iris' full of a mysterious nostalgia, "Don't let him win, Ginka. Never."<br>"Understood," was all I could really say; this was a little strange.  
>Tsubasa glanced at the setting sun before motioning to Yu,<br>"It's getting late, Yu; time to go."  
>"No! I want to finish our battle! And we never got ice-cream! I wanted chocolate with rainbow sprinkles, because everyone knows that chocolate and sprinkles equals yumminess, but <em>no!<em> You want to leave and skip the ice-cream! Well I-"  
>"Um, Yu?" Kenta interrupted the blonde's tantrum. He pointed to a nearby ice-cream truck pulling up into the park, the music box-style song luring children to buy the cold, sugary cream.<br>"Oh! There's the ice-cream truck! Let's go Tsubasa! And then we can go home," Yu half-said, as he started running towards the truck at "ice-cream". Tsubasa just strided after him, hands in pockets and eyes straight ahead, with a short, "Wait up, Yu."  
>"What an interesting pair," mused Madoka, staring after them.<br>I was still wide-eyed in shock. How did Tsubasa even know that Ryuga was getting me down? And what was all that about knowing the real Ryuga once?  
>"Well, see ya Ginka," Masumune laughed, as he clapped his hand on my shoulder.<br>"See ya, Masumune," I replied, smiling as much as I could in return.  
>"It was nice meeting you, Ginka," Kenta politely farewelled, racing forward to hug me before whispering, "I want to be just like you someday."<br>"Kenta…"  
>"See you t-tomorrow Ginka," Madoka blushed, as she always did. She seemed way more confident about herself than she did this morning and that warmed my heart.<br>"You too. Bye everyone!"  
>I ran off for home, still clutching Pegasus. Confusing thoughts swirled in my head, making it hard to think about anything else. One thing was for sure: I had to learn more about Ryuga. But then there was Tsubasa, Kyouya, and Reji as well. I shook my head trying to stop confusing myself. It failed and only made my hair pouf more than it usually poufed.<br>_Why do I feel so confused?_  
>And the feelings stayed with me even as I curled with my Pegasus plushie and fell asleep; the stars above twinkling and flashing their mysterious light onto my mysterious situation.<p> 


	5. King of the Jungle

**Chapter 5: King of the Jungle**

"Ginka! Stop dozing off and tell me what 2+2 is, please," Mr. Taifu boomed.

The classroom was hot and sticky on this warm September day and I was tired from a lack of sleep the night before.

"Oh. Um…um…it's…4? Right?" I managed to say.

"Correct," Mr. Taifu rubbed his moustache for about the hundredth time that day, "But pay attention next time please."

"Yes, sir."

"Well, since our dear Ginka has become troubled with his addition, it seems that I'll have to include an extra practice sheet in tonight's homework! Doesn't that sound ravishing!"

Everyone groaned loudly and I sighed, pulling my math book closer to my ever red face to avoid the stares of annoyance from my classmates.

"Ginka, how could you forget _that_? It's the easiest problem in the book!" Masumune whispered in my ear.

That really didn't help.

"Oh, I don't know, sorry."

The clock on the wall above the whiteboard, ticked and the hand become closer to the number of saving; the number that would end this torture they called _school_.

_Only five more minutes…_

It wasn't that I didn't like school. It was just really hard to concentrate when your mind is stressed over problems that you don't know the answer to. I glanced over to Kyouya, a few desks away. He was diligently filling out his math sheet, not once stopping to erase a problem or tap his pencil in thought. Wishing that I had such skill in Math, I remembered yesterday, when he had showed the class his lion.

_He seems to be quieter than expected; I wonder if he would talk to me…_

Perhaps, I could try to talk to him after school? That would be one less mystery bothering me.

_Still…_

There was something in his eyes and it kinda looked like revenge. What was it? His pine-green eyebrows furrowed and his sapphire iris' were downcast, as if he was really thinking about something-and it wasn't Math.

That was it.

I had to talk to him; even for a minute. As if an answer to my thoughts, the bell rang with a loud shrilling noise and we were released from our desk-prisons.

Stuffing my books in my backpack, some papers even sticking out, I slung my bag over my shoulder, not even zipping it up or bothering to say goodbye to Masumune or Tsubasa.

I _had_ to reach Kyouya. I _had_ to talk to him.

The bustling of kids made it hard to reach him and he was out of the room like a flash; a master at navigating through the crowd.

I raced through them, bumping into many, before even reaching the outside.

It suddenly became worse.

There were kids everywhere from grades K to 4, standing in line for the bus, talking, texting, you name it. Their loud chatter and crowded demeanor filled the front of the school making it impossible to find anyone. My eyes searched for Kyouya, yearning to see the tall, green haired boy.

I had lost him.

Crumbling against a wall, I felt defeated. This Kindergarten was turning out to be more confusing than ever and I was hurt that I couldn't figure anything out. Nothing would make sense anymore.

"I failed you Mom. I'll never learn anything," I whispered, hanging my head in shame.

"Hey! What are you moping around for? I thought this was a school, not a soap opera," said a loud, taunting voice.

Worried, I glanced up expecting Ryuga, but instead I came face to face with a familiar green haired boy.

"Kyouya!"

I sprang up immediately, feeling alive once again. I wasn't totally defeated!

"The one and only?"

"Hey, um, I'm…Ginka," I stuttered, not really knowing what to say, "It's nice to meet you!"

"Ginka huh?" he shrugged a little and started walking towards the back of the school, "That's an interesting name. Galaxy…"

Grabbing my backpack, I followed him, excitedly,

"Well, my mother chose the name. I don't think it really fits me anyway. So, I wanted to ask you: How long have you been beyblading?"

We were now in a clear area behind the school, the chatter of kids vaguely heard from the right. Kyouya pulled out his bey and pointed it straight at me, dark hair flying wildly in the burst of wind the pushed through at that moment.

"I don't talk to anyone without battling them first!"

A bit confused, I just sort of stood there,

"What? Why?"

"Pull out your bey, Ginka! Show me what you've got!"

Still mystified, I pulled out my launcher and attached Pegasus to it, ready to face Kyouya.

"Okay let's do this! 3…"

"…2…" Kyouya stared straight into my eyes and grinned.

"…1…" I returned the eye contact, and gripped my launcher more tightly.

"Let it rip!"

Our beys went flying wildly onto the concrete and began clashing with insane movements.

"Leone!"

Kyouya was attacking aggressively, knocking Pegasus back closer and closer to the edge.

"That's not going to work," I told him. Darting Leone's attack, Pegasus swerved to the center of the squared area, and remained stationary. Leone followed, offensively proceeding to attack. My bey counterattacked, and for once Leone was pushed backwards.

"So, could you answer me now?" I asked, while darting, "How long have you been beyblading."

"I've been beyblading since the moment that-" his eyes widened and as he froze, so did Leone, "Him. I will never forget him," his face darkened, "Ginka, I don't mean to lose here!"

He thrust his hand forward and called out, the very sky clouding until the atmosphere was as dark as his face, "King Lion Tearing Blast!"

A tornado, taller than the school, burst from his bey, twisting and turning. A deep gash was carved in the concrete, as easy as if he were cutting clay, and Pegasus was next in his path.

"Pegasus! Evade!"

My beyblade managed to dart the tornado, but it was way too close. I decided to cancel out his attack with an attack of my own,

"Special Move! Pegasus Starblast Attack!"

A blue light glowed from my bey and it jumped off a nearby rock into the sky before falling back down with amazing power. Pegasus crashed down into Leone, the tornado disappearing into nothing.

Silence followed.

Both beys were as still as statues, and neither were spinning.

It was a tie.

"How did…you," Kyouya started, stunned. Dark green hair all tangled, he stood there, as still as his bey, quietly taking in the results.

I didn't really know what to say, because his expression was weirding me out and again I had just met him fifteen minutes ago. What words would make him feel normal once again? What should I be feeling right now? Happy? Sad? Confused? I was definitely confused. And who was the 'him' Kyouya mentioned? The one who he would never forget? I had to say something; anything to try and calm Kyouya down.

"Nice job."

_Fail…_

I was very soon aware of the multiple school kids standing around us in awe at our battle. Would their presence worsen Kyouya's mood?

"Ginka…"

Kyouya's head was hanging down and his voice was soft and a tad raspy.

_I've blown it now._

The taller blader slowly stood up straight again, a pure excitement pasted all over his face. Whether it was positive or negative, I wasn't really sure.

"You are the opponent that I've been looking for," his eyes flashed, "Someone worthy of my skill. Ocean blue eyes drilling into mine, he chuckled a little, his finger pointing at me, "Ginka Hagane, I will beat you. I will definitely beat you."

Feeling a tad awkward, I smiled a little and nodded,

"Oh cool. So…does this mean we can still be friends?"

Kyouya's eyes slitted and his mouth opened to say something with a loud voice interrupted.

"Kyouya! Kyouya! You were amazing!"

A large boy with short hair of dark purple, pushed his way through the crowd of kids to meet with Kyouya. Covering most of his head, he wore a grey hat with the scarlet symbol of a bull head on the side, the hem ending just above his deep brown eyes and rather large nose. His track-style jacket was black with some red mixed in and it led down to his grey capris with black edges. He wore black sneakers and held a piece of notebook paper.

"Kyouya! Can a please have your autograph? You're just so amazing; I can't believe how awesome you were!"

Kyouya's hand closed around his silver necklace and he walked away,

"I'll be back Ginka. Just you wait; I'll be back."

The larger boy followed him, still gushing over his performance.

I remembered him from class; he was the boy that liked bulls. Benkei was it?

"Ginka!"

I turned to the direction that my name was being called from. Madoka smiled at me and blushed a little more than usual,

"You were incredible! I didn't know that you could battle like that! I've recorded the entire thing here on my computer and I'm going to analyze it tonight!"

"Wow, thanks Madoka! It's so cool that you can analyze things so well."

She smiled,

"It's no biggie! I really love to do it, anyway."

As she finished speaking, the bus pulled up; ready to take us home. Everyone, whose parents weren't picking them up, rushed to the yellow vehicle, eager to return to their houses. Madoka and I followed the crowd and found a seat in the back. All I could do was glance out the window and observe the now clear sky, which was filled with dark storm clouds just minutes before. Playing my encounter with Kyouya over and over in my mind, I analyzed and worried, throwing my stomach into a painful lurch.

_I think I just made an enemy…_

The thought absolutely horrified me. If I had an enemy, then I would have to watch my back, avoid him in the hallways, and avoid eye contact. It would mean that a person hated everything about me, no matter how hard I tried to make him think otherwise. He could even turn others against me, maybe my friends.

The thought of Madoka hating my guts made my head spin and nausea filled my body.

"M-madoka?" I tried to grin, but my face was stiffened into a neutural expression, "I don't...feel so good."

And with that, I fainted forward into the hard leather seat in front of me.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh the suspense! <strong>

**I've decided to write outros instead of intros, because I really fail with intros, so I'm hoping outros will be more appropriate. So, in this chapter we get a closer look at Kyouya and Benkei. Also, Ginka faces the reality of a possible enemy. (Although, that was a little predictable...) And that's pretty much it! Wow I fail at these intro/outro thingies. If you read these, you are to be congratulated :D. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! **

**Until next week!**


	6. Saturday Pt 1

**Chapter 6: Saturday Pt. 1**

Ah, Saturday.

The sun smiled its rays and heat down to my face as I lay down on the park bench. The birds flew carelessly through the blue, cloudless sky and the water of the lake floated peacefully. Even the flowers seem peaceful; they just gently blew in the soft wind. I warmly accepted the quiet nature, closed my eyes, and smiled a little at my moment of peace.

My first week of Kindergarten had been, well, crazy. Yeah, crazy pretty much sums it up. All the new ideas that were introduced and all of the new friends that I had met kept me pretty busy and I worked so hard to get by. It didn't help that I had blacked out on the bus recently. Luckily for me, Madoka managed to wake me up before anyone noticed, but I was still a little uneasy about the whole thing. Not to mention I had made a couple enemies already. I opened my eyes abruptly, remembering the feelings of anxiety that I had felt just a couple days ago.

_Kyouya and Ryuga…_

I had observed both of them the entire week and the few things that I noticed didn't prove helpful at all. Turning on my side to reach my bag, I stretched my arm into the blue bag and pulled out my notebook and my hamburger pencil. Looking over my notes on Ryuga, I realized that I was crossing out most of them, dismissing their usefulness to the mystery I was trying to solve.

Notes on Ryuga:

1. He bullies most kids. Especial the little ones like Kenta and Yu.

2. He says his guardian is Principal Daidoji.

3. He is obsessed with dragons.

4. Reji is always by his side, even if you don't see him (okay, this one's kinda creepy…)

5. He's made fun of my hair and he's said, "Hey loser," to everyone in the class, except Tsubasa: he doesn't talk to Tsubasa.

"Ugg…" I groaned, crossing out everything on my list. None of it was useful at all. It didn't answer my questions: Who was Ryuga really? Why was he always so mean? And as I peered closer to the last note, I was soon aware of my next question. Why doesn't he talk to Tsubasa?

Thinking for a moment, I remembered that Tsubasa had said he knew Ryuga once, but what did that have to do with this at all?

A little frustrated, I pulled out my list about Kyouya.

Notes on Kyouya:

1. He has serious mood swings: One moment he'll be calm and then the next, all worked up.

2. He keeps saying that he'll beat me at beyblade.

3. The kid Benkei is always following him and admiring everything about Kyouya.

4. Kyouya doesn't really talk to anyone, unless he feels the need to tell them to get out of his way or something.

5. Sometimes, his eyes fill with this terrible rage and his fist closes tightly. He spaces out and his eyes are just full of this anger. Then he calms down again like nothing happened.

Annoyed, I found myself crossing out all of those notes as well. Nothing seemed to be working. I wanted to know why Kyouya was so revengeful and moody. And why did he want to beat me at beyblade so bad? What would he accomplish by doing that? And yet, in spite of all that, I really wanted to be friends with him. It seemed like there was a really nice guy under the rough exterior and I wished that I could draw him out.

Letting out a deep sigh, I fell back down onto the bench and crossed my arms behind my head, trying to get those two out of my head. I wished with all my heart that something would happen. Something that would change this new and confusing life.

"Ginkie! It's…really you!"

I turned to find myself face to face with Yu and Kenta, both panting as if they'd been running a long distance.

"Thank goodness, Ginka," Kenta managed to say, hunched over and hands on knees, "We…thought we wouldn't…be able to find anyone."

I sat up, a bit concerned,

"What's wrong, guys? Did something happen?"

Yu looked absolutely terrified and he clutched his beyblade in fear,

"We ran into him. We ran into-"

"Reji!" Kenta finished, "You know, the guy who's always with Ryuga? We were just headed down Main Street for some ice cream, and he pops out of nowhere, demanding us to battle him."

Eyes bouncing between both Kenta and Yu, I took in Yu's absolute fear and Kenta's worry,

"What did you do?"

"We said no, because there was no way we were going to battle right there on Main Street, but he suddenly went berserk and started yelling things like, 'Now, I want to battle you right now!' So, we battled him, but he beat both of us so quickly and look at what he did to our beys," Kenta held out his bey, Sagittario, and I noted the scraped metal and broken performance tip.

By now, Yu was shaking uncontrollably,

"Then we picked up the remnants of our beys real fast and ran away as fast as we could. Reji chased us, nearly catching up once or twice, but then Ryuga showed up and stopped all of us…"

He was so traumatized, he couldn't finish.

"Ryuga just looked down at us with these cold eyes before pushing Yu aside with a quick, 'You're in my way,' then he left with Reji. Just like that. We ran all over, looking for someone, anyone, to tell," Kenta finished, prior to looking at Yu and noticing his shaking and fear, "Yu! What's wrong? Are you okay?"

I was horrified at what those two had done to Yu and Kenta. I couldn't believe that they would bully even out of school. What was wrong with them?

"Yu, what happened? Why are you shaking?" I asked, clapping a hand on his shoulder as a gesture of concern.

Yu looked down, completely still, his bangs covering his face,

"Nothing. I don't want to talk about it."

"Are you sure?" I questioned further.

Kenta shared my concern,

"Yu, if you don't tell us, we can't help you. What's wrong? Did something happen that I didn't notice?"

Yu looked up and grinned,

"No, it's all good! Thanks for the help Kenji and Ginkie! I guess I'll be off now!"

Yu giggled and skipped down the road, as if he nothing had happened at all. He was perfectly fine and free of fear.

Kenta and I just stared after him, completely confused and worried.

"What just happened there?" Kenta mused, head tilted a little in a curious expression.

"I really don't know," I replied in the same manner.

Kenta turned back to me, brown eyes full of uneasiness,

"Well, besides that, I'm really freaked out about what happened with Reji. Why would he pick on us like that anyway?"

I crossed my arms and stood, determined to figure it out,

"I don't really know, but I promise you, I will find out," I sat once again and let myself just kinda flop, "I'm so twisted up about so many things…"

"Yeah, tell me about it…" Kenta sat down next to me, equally perplexed.

I glanced over to him in wonder,

"Really? I thought I was the only one."

He returned the look,

"Same here. Doesn't this school seem a little strange to you?"

"Yeah, but all schools are probably like this one," I grumped, before frowning and turning back to Kenta with a look of uncertainty, "Right?"

"I don't really know," Kenta stared straight ahead to the glistening lake of blue.

We sat there, just staring at the park lake for a while, our minds focused on our troubling thoughts. I breathed in the scent of the dazzling flowers below and felt the wind tousle my hair, though my bandana kept it in place for the most part. I tried to just forget everything, I tried with all my might. Nothing worked. The mysteries that were haunting me, continued to befuddle my entire being. Why did this all bother me so much anyway? I couldn't take my mind off what Reji and Ryuga had done to poor Kenta and Yu. It just wasn't right. And something was definitely up with Yu and well; it wasn't normal to be scared one minute and jumpy the next.

Suddenly aware of a familiar pair of kids, I sat up and lightly tapped Kenta before pointing in the direction of them. There was a girl with sky blue hair and deep purple eyes, walking next to a boy with periwinkle hair and sea-blue eyes.

"Hey, Kenta, Isn't that-"

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, chapter 6! Sorry about the late-ness, school is particularly insane right now. And oh man, is it just me, or are these chapters getting more and more depressing? Well, don't worry, things are going to take a little bit of a twist very soon :). Hopefully, it won't be all saddening...<strong>


	7. Saturday Pt 2

**Chapter 6: Saturday Pt. 2**

"You mean Hikaru and Hyouma from class? Yeah…I think that's them."

Kenta squinted in the direction of my pointing hand and nodded.

Hikaru, a small girl with bright, sky-blue hair flowing to her shoulders, walked close to the taller boy, violet eyes casting cautious glances at the people walking past. She wore a turquoise T-shirt with a dolphin graphic and simple jean shorts, complete with white sneakers dyed to match her top. Her older companion, Hyouma, was garbed in a fuchsia shirt, with a light blue safari-style vest and black pants neatly tucked into brown, buckled boots. He walked with a confidence, different to that of Hikaru, and his curly, periwinkle hair framed his deep blue eyes nicely.

It was strange; I hadn't seen much of them up till now. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention.

"Hey!" I called, waving them over. I was going to meet them sooner or later anyway, why not now?  
>Hyouma was the first to notice and he looked at Hikaru for a second before the two of them headed our way.<p>

"Ginka, are you sure that was a good idea?" Kenta asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly, "We haven't even met them yet, so calling them over might've seemed a little-"

"Hey."

We looked up to see they had reached us rather quickly. Hyouma grinned ear to ear and extended his hand out to greet us,

"Wow, it's nice to finally meet you! I'm Hyouma. Hyouma Hasuma."

I returned the greeting and shook his hand firmly. Kenta did the same.

"This is my sister Hikaru, she's a little shy," Hyouma motioned to the speechless girl staring at her feet.

Feeling slightly awkward, I reached out to shake her hand as well,

"It's nice to meet you too Hikaru."

"Perhaps

Timidly, she reached out and shook my hand as if it were a two ton machete. Our eyes met for a second and I noticed how big her deep violet eyes were for the first time.

"Hi, nice to meet…you," she said quietly.

Kenta greeted her and then we were off for a calm walk down the street, just out of the park.

"So, I can't believe it's been a week already, and we still haven't met!" Hyouma exclaimed, "We must seem pretty unfriendly; sorry about that."

"Oh, it's no problem," I assured him.

"Thanks. Hey, so I've heard you just moved here to Tokyo. What do you think of it?"

I smiled; no one had asked me about that yet, besides some of my Dad's co-workers that visited once or twice.

"I like it a lot! Everything is so different from the town we lived in before, but it's interesting and lively; I'm really enjoying it here."

"That's great! How long've you been here?"

"About three months now."

"Wow, nice. Well, you seem to have fit right in at school! I've heard kids marvel at your reading skills."

That's a little weird, I hadn't heard anyone talk about my reading skills yet,

"Oh thanks, my mother taught me when I was younger."

"That's not the only thing Ginka's good at!" Kenta broke in, "He's tied with both Ryuga and Kyouya in a beyblade match already!"

Hyouma appeared genuinely surprised,

"Is that so? Well, congratulations! They _are_ tough opponents. So you beyblade then, huh?"

"Yeah, it's kind of a hobby with me. I've been battling since the first time I could launch. Never stopped since and I never will."

I glanced over at Hikaru and noted her silence. She walked close to Hyouma, as if something was going to happen at any moment. If you really studied her face, she looked rather fearful.

"Do you battle, Hikaru?" I asked out of the blue.

Her eyes darted up rapidly,

"No. I mean…yes, but not anymore."

Hyouma quickly stepped in,

"Hikaru decided it just wasn't for her. She likes watching battles though."

"Oh that's a shame," I said, carefully. It felt like they weren't telling me something. But then again: why would they do that?

"So, do you beyblade, Hyouma?" Kenta asked politely.

Hyouma let out a hearty laugh, revealing his pearl-white teeth,

"I try, but I'd call it bey-_failing_ rather then bey-_blading_. When I battle, it kind of looks like an elephant trying to waddle."

We had to laugh at that and even Hikaru cracked a tiny smile at her brother's corny joke.

"But to be serious, yes I do beyblade and I love it very much."

"That's great, same here," I responded.

"By the way, did you hear that they've decided to issue uniforms at school?"

I shook my head at Hyouma,

"No, I haven't, when are they going to announce it?"

"Monday," he replied, rolling his eyes, "I've heard they're grey with green letters that read 'hurricane academy' over the shirt pocket. Guys have to wear these black pants made of itchy fabric, and girls have to wear skirts. And then of course there's the sweater in the infamous green."

I wrinkled my nose,

"Ew. Oh well, it's only for school days, right?"

Hyouma nodded and sighed,

"Yep. I guess they want more order or something. It shouldn't be too bad."

I stopped and noticed that we had come to the public zoo. The sights and sounds of animals and a hint of roasting peanuts reached my senses and I suddenly wanted to go in really, really badly.

"Anyone, up for the zoo?" I asked, "It doesn't look like there's a fee."

Kenta jumped a little, eyes aglow,

"Oh yes! I just love the zoo! I've been here about a bajillion times and it's just awesome! I love the lions!"

I turned around to hear the other's answer, but the two of them were staring at the entrance sign in disbelief. Confused, I glanced upwards as well, expecting there to be a notice that said, 'No children under the age of 8,' or something. Instead, I was faced with the name of the zoo.

'Leone's Zoo,' it read.

_Oh that's funny, it has the same name as Kyouya's beyblade._

Hyouma studied Hikaru's face, which was filling up with pain, and they shared a look. Immediately, the aqua-haired girl shook her head no, whipping her hair into her face.

"Um, we'd love to, but we really should be getting back now," Hyouma said, a little bit urgently.

I was disappointed, but I respected their decision. Besides, Kenta still wanted to see the lions, so it wasn't like we couldn't go.

"Are you sure? The lions await!" I tried one last time.

"Lions?" Hikaru suddenly burst, wide-eyed. Her hands began shaking. _"Lions?"_ she repeated, a tone of hurt in her voice.

Hyouma just grinned half-heartedly and gently took his sister's hand,

"Yeah, we really ought to head back. It was nice meeting both of you again!"

Hikaru regained herself quickly, but as she walked in the opposite direction with Hyouma, she glanced back one last time, shooting me a look of confusion.

_What did I say?_

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a small figure, whose face was obscured by shadows, approached the man at the computer.<p>

"Did you ask for me?" he inquired.

"Yes," the man replied shortly. He turned the computer screen into view and pointed to the picture on the screen, "I'm beginning to get a bad feeling about this boy. I fear he could become a threat to H.A.B.O."

The figure nodded and his golden eyes flashed brightly in the faint light of the screen,

"So, where do I come in?"

"I want you to pay close attention to him and figure out his strengths and weaknesses. I doubt it will be for long, because this is only a feeling. He could be absolutely harmless."

"And if I refuse?"

The man grinned maliciously,

"You know perfectly well what happens if you refuse."

There was a tone of uneasiness when the other replied,

"I'll do it."

"Good, that's exactly what I wanted to hear. Now leave."

Once the figure had left as quickly as he had come, the man turned back to the computer screen and tapped his fingers half out of impatience and half out of pure annoyance. He peered at the smiling boy's face on the screen and slitted his eyes in thought and unsureness.

_"Ginka Hagane…"_

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that's the end of chapter 7! Okay, so I have two notes on that.<strong>

**1. Because Hyouma doesn't have a last name (I looked it up and everything), I used Hikaru's last name for the both of them. Just in case you were wondering.**

**2. H.A.B.O. isn't pronounced "hah-BOH". You just say the letters: H-A-B-O. There will be more on that later.**

**3. I'm trying to answer questions and reply to reviews (because I really appriciate them a lot; thanks so much to all who have reviewed!), so once I get that all figured out, I'll answer the questions in this section here. (And I'll try to go back to previous chapters and answer those questions as well. However, I want to make it very clear, I will not reply to reviews or answer questions if there is any profanity, suggestiveness, or homosexuality. I'm sorry, but I just don't tolorate that sort of thing. Thanks for understanding.**

**Here's some questions!**

**From Beccal47: Who is that man? why is Hikaru afraid of lions? xD and why does Kenta have unexplained interest in the "Lions" lol ..xD**

**And that's all for now! And again, thank you if you actually read this ranty-outro :D.**


	8. Dragons in the Stars

**Chapter 8: Dragons in the Stars**

_I peered up into that sparkling sky of stars, searching profusely for my constellation. _

_The wind blew sharply, sending a chilling shiver over my entire body. My breath was a frosty fog in the night air. Not giving up, I squinted even harder, eyes crazily trying to lock onto that picture that I had seen so many times. Abruptly, the constellations began moving and twisting into familiar shapes. Orion the hunter pulled back his bow gracefully, pointed due east. I turned in the direction of his arrow and witnessed a gathering of the stars. Pegasus reared down next to me and I climbed on his shining back without hesitation. He snorted gently and I watched his glittering breath fade into the blackness of the heavens. Relaxing, I stroked his twinkling mane and hugged his neck, never wanting to let go. _

_We reached the others in a timely manner. The stars of the other constellations glimmered in harmony adding contrast to the blackness of space around them. I recognized a few right away, awed at their liveliness. _

_Masumune materialized riding Monoceros, the unicorn constellation, and stopped right next to me._

"_Ginka, what are you going to do about the hurricane?"_

_Befuddled, I cast him a questioning look,_

"_What hurricane?"_

_A strong wind began to blow and I saw a dragon circling around us. _

_The constellation Draco._

_Majestically, the dragon circled faster and faster until every star was squished inside the current that he had created. The voices of my friends called out: Madoka, Kenta, Yu, and Hikaru, pleading for help. What could I do? How could I stop the hurricane? Below me, Leo, the lion constellation, roared ferociously and pawed his way into the eye of the hurricane that I was trapped in. I saw Kyouya riding the back of the wild animal, eyes intense with determination. Smirking, he nodded in the direction of the sun and bounded away, leading me to the fire-y ball. Leo let out another deep throated growl, vibrating my body, but I swallowed my fear and urged Pegasus to follow. The kingly horse opened his powerful wings and struggled to follow the lion amid the ever-raging hurricane that the dragon had created. Very suddenly, Leo halted and Kyouya turned back, leaving Pegasus and I alone in the presence of the sun. The desperate cry of an eagle startled me and I glanced upwards to witness Aquila, the eagle constellation, trying to fly away from the scene of terror, but a chain held fast to his talons and his eyes became a strange red. I thought I saw Tsubasa riding the legendary bird, but just as soon as I made the conclusion, he was gone._

"_Ginka..."_

_Whipping around, I was faced with Draco._

_Ryuga was perched on the tip of the horn slithering out of its head, laughing evilly in my face. Behind him, the other constellations had become a ruby-red, glowing with hatred. My enemy pointed right at me and his followers ran at full speed, headed for Pegasus and I. As I desperately tried to gallop away with the winged horse, I became aware of a chain holding his hoof firmly._

_We were trapped._

_The fire-red stars encircled us and Ryuga cackled as his face merged with the dragon. Taking a deep breath, they released a blazing fire upon us. I tried to call out, but no sound came out of my mouth. _

**"No!"**

A crash of thunder boomed, shaking the floor, and lightning flashed spontaneously, lighting my tiny room for two seconds. Still breathing hard, I looked around and realized that I was in my bed, under my beyblade comforter, and choking my poor Pegasus plushie to death.

"Sorry," I whispered to him, relaxing my grip.

As I stroked his soft mane, I noticed that my window were open and the shutters clanged unpleasantly, chilling the room and banging on my wall. The curtains floated on the breeze shamefully as if accepting that its thin fabric couldn't stop the wind.

"We really need to fix that," I mumbled to myself, tossing the blanket aside and standing up. Cold wood floor came as a shock to my feet. I clumsily tripped over a toy, but managed to make my way over to the window, where I tried with all my might to close the shutters. Unfortunately, my small arms and limited strength just weren't enough to shut the wind out of my face. A lingering memory of a hurricane drove me to push harder and with a little bit of extra force I heard a satisfactory _'dap'_ as it shut tightly.

"Oh yeah, that strength training is really paying off," I said to myself quietly and pride fully.

"Sure is," a deep voice chuckled behind me.

Spinning around, completely expecting a dragon, I was faced with my father.

He had shut the window for me.

Oh.

"Ah Father!" I sheepishly giggled, "Did I wake you up?"

He grinned and bent down to hug me,

"Yeah listening to you snore-no I'm just kidding. I've been awake for a couple hours. Can't sleep. Hey, let's go down to the kitchen; I'll fix us some tea."

"Sounds good."

He lead me out of my tiny room into the shadowy hallway and down some hardwood stairs (they were _hard_wood, trust me; I learned it the _hard_ way awhile back) eventually coming upon a modest kitchen with white appliances. Quickly sitting down at the breakfast table, I watched as my dad filled the kettle with water and set it on the gas stove. He turned the dial and with a _click_, it immediately burst into flames.

I shivered.

The memory of those dragons made themselves known once again.

After my dad set the dial to a reasonable temperature, he went to the cabinet and pulled out the teabags.

"What flavor do you want?" he ruffled threw an old coffee can pulling out various packets. In the process he pulled out old baseball cards, tickets to a movie from last year, random receipts, and a few peppermints.

Father wasn't very organized.

Mom usually did the organizing for him, but now that she was gone, it seemed that it was up to me.

"Whatever you can find," I laughed.

About a half hour later, we were both sitting at the breakfast table, sipping on hot apple cinnamon tea (that had expired two years ago, but still tasted decent) and sharing stories.

"…and that's how I learned to juggle. It wasn't pretty, but it's 100% true," my father finished, trying to sound serious.

His eyes gave him away.

"Dad, I don't Phoenix's teach people how to juggle…I don't think phoenix's are real for that matter."

Fake shock entered his face and he put his hand to his mouth for emphasis,

"WHAT? Who put that silly idea into your head? Of course phoenix's are real! How could I be," he stood up and made a superman pose, "_The Immortal Phoenix_ if they weren't real?"

I just laughed and tried not to choke on my stale tea.

Father's amber eyes shone with that teasing glint that he used to use all the time when Mom was around. It was good to see him starting to get back to himself. That's what I liked about my Dad; he didn't let life's events get him down and he always tried to put on a happy face for me even when annoying stuff was happening. He was truly a hero to me.

"Anyway, how's your school coming along, Ginka?" He sipped at his tea and was clearly interested.

"Well it's nice," I looked down and twirled my spoon in the mug, "I've made friends and we go to the park and the zoo together. The teachers are pretty nice and the work isn't too hard…yeah. It's nice."

There was no way that I was going to tell him about Ryuga and Kyouya. Or how Mr. Taifu seemed to love to pick on me. Or the fact that no one had even seen Principal Daidoji yet. Besides, it would ruin the fun mood that we had going on.

"You made friends? That's great, son!" Dad smiled and did a thumbs up before taking a large gulp of his drink, "Hey, you should bring them along on the picnic I was going to surprise you with tomorrow. I would love to meet them," he covered his mouth quickly and pretended to be in denial, "Oops! Did I just give that away?"

Problems forgotten, I lit up like a Christmas tree and stood up out of my chair, nearly knocking my mug down in the process,

"We're going on a picnic! Co-ol!"

"Mhm, I found this neat little spot in the woods right next to a creek. Since the weather's still warm, I thought we could eat a picnic lunch, go swimming, and then walk on the nature trails. It's the perfect thing to do on a Saturday."

"Thanks so much Dad!"

Being my Kindergartener self, I was absolutely ecstatic to go to a new place. I jumped forward and felt myself encased in his bear hug.

"You're welcome son," his eyes got a little misty and distant, but that was okay with me. I knew he was probably wishing that Mom was here right now, just like I was.

"It'll be okay," I whispered gently, "Let's call up some friends in the morning and have a great picnic."

That was my last thought as I curled up in bed.

It'll be okay. We'll have fun with friends.

And what an interesting turn of events it became…

* * *

><p><strong>Hey there!<strong>

**Wow, I'm sorry about the really, really, really (times infinity plus nine) late chapter! :( I'm like three weeks behind! Well, I'll try to write more and get back on schedule. :). Thanks for reviewing guys! I'm super excited to write the next chapter; it should be interesting...XD**


	9. Picnic Pt 1

**Chapter 9: Picnic Part 1**

It didn't start out terribly.

In fact, the day began rather nicely…

"Alright troops! Take a left at this tree!"

Dad was sure was cheerful today.

I followed him, carefully watching my footing on the slippery leaves of the forest, walking alongside Madoka.

"This is r-really fun," she said quietly, a gentle expression of happiness on her face.

"I agree," was all I could say because Dad interrupted.

"Now, the creek is pretty deep in the forest and very few know about it, so stick close behind me so you don't get lost, okay? We don't want anyone getting lost!"

This morning I called three friends: Kenta, Madoka, and Masumune. Father said he didn't want a bunch of kids coming along, so I narrowed down the choices to them. Unfortunately, Kenta couldn't come because he was sick with allergies, so that just left Masumune and Madoka. We picked them up and drove over to the forest entrance, Masumune cracking jokes about Koalas the whole time. Seriously, he must've told over fifty jokes; how does he know that many about Koalas alone?

Once we arrived at the entrance, we bumped into Kyouya and Benkei. Immediately, I invited them to join us and although Kyouya looked like he'd rather die, Benkei was ecstatic and our group gained two more members. After Dad mumbled something about how six year olds shouldn't be wandering around on their own, the six of us were off on a special trail that he had somehow found. And now my father was leading us down an unfamiliar trail on this beautiful October day.

"So Benkei," began Masumune, breaking five minute's silence, "why do you like bulls so much?"

Benkei clamped his fists excitedly and closed his eyes in reminiscence,

"Well, one time I was at McDonalds and I noticed a poster for Animal Planet advertising a bull."

Masumune nodded, waiting for him to continue, but he never did. We all looked at Benkei questioningly.

"So, _that's_ why you like bulls?" Kyouya asked, a little sarcastically.

"It was the _best_ day of my _life_!" Benkei retorted, clearly annoyed.

_Okay then…_

"Also, my beyblade is Dark Bull from the constellation Taurus, so I feel like I have a connection with bulls."

"I know what you mean," Masumune said, "My beyblade is Ray Striker, from the unicorn constellation, so I feel like I have a connection with unicorns."

"Masumune?" I began.

"What?"

"Unicorns aren't real. They're mythical creatures. Also, they're kind of…girly."

His face became a little red,

"Oh yeah? _Well!_ This is coming from the guy who obsesses over _Pegasus'sis_."

"You can't even say Pegasus'!"

"I can too! Pegasus'sisisis!"

"It's Pegasus'!"

"PEGASUS'SISIS!"

"Alright boys! Break it up!" my Dad lightheartedly interjected, "Besides the plural of Pegasus is Pegasi."

"Oh," Masumune and I said at once.

He could've said that sooner.

"Anyway, here we are!" Father exclaimed, gesturing to a sparkling creek deep in the forest. I looked around, peering for any sign of the modern world.

Nothing.

Just trees.

Excellent.

"Wow! Cool!" Masumune threw his sandals off and dipped his feet into the creek, "Ah…so refreshing."

Following his lead, I did the same and joined him.

My bare toes met fresh, cold water. It was cold enough to cool me down, but warm enough that it wasn't a shock to the skin. This water was the perfect temperature.

The other three kids joined us, Benkei dipping his feet in as well, while Madoka and Kyouya just sat next to us. Father was digging through his bag of supplies, trying to find a blanket and various picnic food.

"I've got lots of activities planned for us!" he rambled, throwing a rubber chicken out of his way, "First, we'll eat our lunch and then we'll fish, go on a nature trail, and last have a campfire! I have a lot to teach you younglings!" He proceeded to toss a Pokémon plushie out of the bag, straight into Benkei's lap.

"I love Pokémon!" The violet haired boy happily announced, hugging the stuffed animal.

"This bag is old and full of random things that I never threw away," Dad mumbled, "Feel free to keep anything I toss out of here."

"Thanks Mr. Hagane!" Benkei stroked the head of his new friend.

We just stared at him; it was strange to see such a big kid playing with a plushie. Masumune even looked a little jealous, but Dad threw a stallion plushie about five minutes later and he picked it up right away. Eyeing it a little bit, he finally stuck a nearby stick into its head and called it a unicorn.

"His name is George," Masumune grinned, holding 'George' out, "And he's a unicorn."

Madoka and I politely told him that George looked very nice, while Kyouya stared at the animal with a blank expression. Eventually, he bluntly stated that it looked like a sad old goat that had crashed into a tree.

Masumune glared at him and hugged George closer.

Soon after, Father managed to get our lunch ready and we gathered in a circle on the massive blanket that he had spread out. It was amazing that in spite of my dad's lack of organization, he was able to pack such a good lunch. There was a plate of delicate sandwiches in four flavors; Cheese, Ham, Turkey, and the classic: good ol' PB&J. Crisp, sweet apples and juicy pears settled temptingly in an orange plastic bowl. Various veggies rested on another plate and there was a delicious-looking dessert of chocolate pudding and Oreos. Of course, he didn't forget the _onigiri_ with the faces he made out of _nori _and the ears out of carrots. Mom used to do the same thing and he would tease her about how they looked like monkeys. Of course, I didn't think that they appeared to be monkeys, but that didn't stop me from laughing when Dad held up one to his face and made creature sounds. Mom would roll her eyes, and with a silly smile she'd get her onigiri 'monkey' and she'd have a monkey sounds show-down with Father. I would cheer, clap my hands, and vote on the best sounds, until they put the rice down and shared a kiss. As if on demand, I'd let out a loud, "Ew!", but I'd be giggling anyway. Dad kept making the onigiri the same way my mother had. It was his way of remembering the memories we'd shared together.

Instinctively, I grabbed an onigiri and savored every bite of rice and seaweed.

"Wow, those things kinda look like monkeys!" Masumune joked, reaching for one.

Dad and I shared a warm look, before laughing.

"These sandwiches are delicious, Mr. Hagane!" Madoka said between bites.

"Thank you young lady!" he grinned, "Eat up; there's plenty more where that came from!"

"Don't mind if I do!" Benkei grabbed five sandwiches and began inhaling them like he'd never eaten in his life.

Kyouya was intent on a turkey sandwich, but he stopped a couple of times just to stare at Benkei in awe at his inhalation skills.

I wondered how they got along; they were such opposites.

Kyouya was unpredictable, you never knew whether he'd be calm and quiet or excited and aggressive, while Benkei was loud and his emotions were transparent.

"Bu-Bu-Bu-Bull! Kyouya!" Benkei garbled, chewing, "You should totally try the ham; it's amazing!"

"Benkei!" Madoka asserted for once, "Please don't speak with your mouth full."

"Oh sorry," he said, still chewing.

Madoka sighed and resigned to munching on a celery stick.

"Maybe I'll try one in a little bit," Kyouya spoke up suddenly, laughing a little.

After stuffing ourselves with the rest of the food, we cleaned up and Dad pulled out four fishing poles.

"Unfortunately, I didn't know we were going to have extra people," he looked at Kyouya and Benkei, "so everyone will have to share."

"O-oh that's okay," the timid Madoka cast an uneasy glance at the metal pole, "I'll just watch for now."

"Alright, we need one other to stand down for the first fishing lesson," Dad stared down at us, "Any takers?"

"I can wait a bit," Masumune volunteered, preoccupied. He was staring at a squirrel, watching the way it smoothly maneuvered on the slim branches of the tall trees.

"Thanks you two, you'll have your turn in no time. Now, you three," my father handed a kid-sized fishing pole to Kyouya, Benkei, and me, "follow me and be careful with the fishing line; the hook is sharp."

Obediently, we followed him a couple steps over to the edge of the creek where he opened a cup of moist dirt and fiddled around with it, trying to find something inside.

"What's in there?" Benkei wondered aloud.

"Aha!"

Dad managed to grab his victim: a slimy, wriggling worm.

"No! No! Get it away from me!" Benkei squealed, wide eyed and freaked out.

Kyouya reached out, accepted the worm from my father, and strung it on Benkei's hook without flinching,

"It's just a worm, Benkei. Deal with it."

"T-thanks Kyouya," the bull boy's face was pale and he made sure to hold the pole as far as his little arms would allow.

"Here Ginka."

I was handed my own worm and I felt the ribbed bug squirm to get free from my grip.

"Sorry little guy," I whispered, attaching him to my hook.

Once we were all baited up, Dad proceeded to show us how to cast properly,

"Now hold the string against the pole and bring it back behind your head like this," he pressed the fishing line to the pole and brought it behind his head, like he was ready to hit a flyball, "then quickly fling it forward and release your hold on the line," he threw the pole forward like he was going to toss it into the creek and let go of the line, sending it speeding to the center of the creek, landing with a gentle _plop._ The bobber, or little floating device that marked where he had casted, floated peacefully waiting for bite.

"When I get a bite, that little bobber'll sink down and I'll have to reel in really fast with this crank," he finished.

The three of us watched, interested. Our young minds were fascinated with the concept of fishing and we were excited to learn.

"Let me try that!" Benkei eagerly ejaculated.

He threw the line back behind, but it caught on his shirt and when he tried to thrust it forward, he got T-shirt in his face.

"Gah!"

Off balance, he fell forward into the creek.

"Bu-bull, that's gonna leave a mark," he moaned, standing up. He was completely soaked and dripping and we had to get Madoka over just to get the hook out of the hem.

"Well, Kyouya, let's see you try," Dad pointed to the lion blader.

Effortlessly, Kyouya cast smoothly as if he had been fishing his whole life.

"Like that?" he asked, curiously.

Dad's mouth dropped five inches, but he regained himself quickly and he nodded,

"Y-yeah just like that. How did you-eh, never mind. Ginka! You're up, son!"

I was in awe at Kyouya's performance and living up to it was a little nerve-racking.

Taking a deep breath, I steadily brought the pole behind me head, taking care not to catch the hook on my clothes. I had the innate sense that Kyouya's deep blue eyes were boring into me, watching my every move. I put pressure on the pole and began to swing it forwards to launch the line into the glittering water.

"Ginkie!"

* * *

><p><strong>Haha that's the end for now! <strong>

**The whole picnic scene was supposed to be one chapter, but I soon realized that it wasn't going to work that way, so it'll probably be another one or two chapters depending XD. Okay, two notes!**

**1. Their isn't actually a plural for Pegasus, because Pegasus is the name of an animal not a species. Pegasus, in Greek Mythology was a winged horse, but that was his name not the term for the type of horse he was (winged). However, because Pegasus _has _been used as the name of the winged horse species, people have come up with plural terms and Pegasi (pronounced Peh-GAH-Sai) happens to be one of them XD. lol I hope that made sense. **

**2. Onigiri is a Japanese food consisting of shaped rice (traditionally a triangle) wrapped in a piece of nori, or seaweed, so that the consumer's hands don't get sticky. Nori is flat and normally sold in thin sheets (kind of like paper), so people can easily cut it into shapes and make art out of their onigiri. **

**Chapter 10 is coming as soon as possible. :) **


	10. Picnic Pt 2

**Chapter 10: Picnic Part 2**

I whipped around at the sound of my name and my pole flew out of my fingers in my abrupt movement.

"Ginkie!" the voice repeated, "What're you doing out here, huh? Wow, it's so cool how we're always bumping into each other! We've probably set a world record or something!"

_Yu? What was he doing here?_

The small blond rushed forward to give me the usual: a suffocating hug, endless giggles, and plenty of rambling.

"Wow! Yo-Yo, Ben Ben, and Masumoomoo are here too! Oo and there's Madoka!"

Masumune and Madoka had joined us by now to greet the hyper blader. The reactions to Yu's infamous nicknames were varied: Kyouya growled, Masumune didn't look any different, and Benkei just appeared plain confused. Dad's face was the most priceless though; he was absolutely shocked to find a four-year-old alone in the woods,

"Young man, what are you doing out here all alone?"

Yu just smiled ear to ear,

"Isn't it obvious? It's because we-"

"We came to fish," a voice interrupted.

The seven of us turned to our left to witness Tsubasa standing high in a tree above us. His nearly glowing eyes shone emotionless and his long hair blew softly in the breeze that wafted by in our silence. As if on cue, he flipped forward and landed ninja-style on the ground in front of us, not crunching a single leaf.

It was as if he had been doing it his whole life.

"Sorry about the confusion," he continued, facing my father, "Yu tends to wander off sometimes," he turned to Yu, "do that again and there's no ice-cream next week."

"Oh man!" Yu crossed his arms and sulked openly, "I blame Ben-Ben."

Benkei, offended, narrowed his eyebrows at the younger blader,

"Huh! What did I do?"

"It's more like what you didn't do!"

"Wha-! Bu-bull, what didn't I do? Man, you're such an _annoying_ kid!"

"And _you_ are the reason I probably won't get ice-cream next week!"

Father just gaped at Tsubasa and Yu both like they had gone mad,

"And you are-what, six years old? What are you two doing out here alone?" he threw his hands up in the air, "Whatever happened to adult supervision!"

"Well you see Mr. Hagane, in the early 20th century-" Masumune began.

"That was rhetorical," Dad face-palmed.

Without answering my dad's question, Yu jumped forward and pointed excitedly at my fishing pole,

"Are you guys fishing with poles? That's so cool! It looks a ton easier too. Can I try? I wonder what it's like."

"You don't fish with poles?" I looked over both Tsubasa and Yu; neither was carrying a fishing pole, "How do you fish then?"

"With our hands of course!" Yu laughed as if I was an idiot, "How else would we fish!"

"I'd like to see that," Dad had regained his composure, "Because we don't have any extra poles, unfortunately."

"That won't be necessary," Tsubasa calmly told him, "Let's show them Yu."

"Okay!"

"Necessary?" Father said to himself, "What six year old uses that word?"

The twosome pulled their shoes off and left them at the trunk of a nearby tree before rolling up the cuffs of their pants.

"You need to roll up your sleeves too," Tsubasa instructed Yu, "I don't know why you wear long sleeves in the warm weather anyway."

"They're trendy!" Yu argued, but he compiled to let Tsubasa roll his sleeves up to his elbows. After they were all suited up, the older lead the younger straight into a shallow part of the creek where they stood as still as time itself.

"How are they going to catch a fish like that? Are they pretending to be statues?" Benkei whispered in my ear.

"I don't know, maybe they're waiting for the right moment," I responded, eyeballing the two young fishermen.

Madoka had pulled out her computer, recording the event with the built in video camera. I thought she only recorded bey battles, but apparently she studied other science related things as well. Crossing his arms over his chest, Kyouya watched in a quiet attentiveness, while Masumune and Dad had their hands on their hips, equally interested.

Without warning, Tsubasa's head jerked to the right and he reached into the water with nearly inhuman reflexes and speed. With a splash of crystal water, he pulled out a handsome sized bass about the length of Father's arm. Likewise, Yu swiftly reached down and pulled out a small trout around the length of Dad's hand.

"Aw! I only caught a dinky one!" he complained, making a displeased face at his catch, "You always get the big ones, Tsubasa!"

Ignoring his companion, the older held his large fish by the tail and inspected it carefully before holding it out to us onlookers,

"That's how you do it. This bass is good for cooking too."

"Amazing!" Madoka remarked, fingers flying over her keyboard, "They were both able to pull a fish straight out of the water using only their senses!"

Astounded, Father's fishing pole slipped out of his hands and he froze in amazement,

"H-how did you two-"

"I wanna learn to fish like that!" Masumune tossed aside his pole, threw off his shoes, and joined the more experienced fishers, "I'll bet that I can catch a bigger fish than all of you too," he added, smirking.

"Oh no you don't!" Benkei's coffee brown eyes lit up at the competition, "Kyouya'll crush you easy! Right Kyouya?"

The older blader was quiet this whole time, but now his eyes glowed with the same excitement as Benkei,

"You're on, Masumune."

"I-I'd like to learn too," Madoka timidly spoke up, standing next to me, "There's nothing sharp involved."

"I second that!" I joined in.

"Yay! We have students now! Tsubasa, we're like teachers!" Yu cheered, "Can we teach them all? Please! Please! Please!"

"Alright then," Tsubasa motioned to our feet, "Take your shoes off and roll up the cuffs."

"But, don't you kids want to learn how to fish with poles?" Dad seemed a little hurt.

"Maybe next time, Dad," I assured him.

He just frowned and watched as we tried to catch the slippery animals.

"You have to be very observant," Tsubasa instructed us, "If you are, things will become clearer."

All seven of us Kindergarteners stood in the creek, watching for the fish to swim by. We had to stand as still as possible so we wouldn't scare them off.

"This is hard," I peered into the water, trying to detect any movement or color, "I can't see anything!"

"I can't either," Madoka agreed, searching as intently as I.

Just then, there was an abrupt splash and on the spur of the moment, Kyouya had caught a bass between the size of Tsubasa's catch and Yu's.

"That's my Kyouya!" Benkei gushed, "He can do anything after seeing it only once!"

The forest haired boy just shrugged it off like it was nothing and handed his prize off to Dad for keeping, before joining us once again. I marveled at his skill; what would it be like to do anything after seeing it only once? I could watch someone juggle fire and then do it with equal skill. Juggling fire! Cool! That's something you don't see five year old's doing everyday! Or maybe I could watch a professional surfer on TV and then perform at the beach or even-

"I caught one!"

Masumune had this big cheesy grin on and he held out a trout a bit bigger than Yu's. "In your face, Ginka!"

Okay that was it.

Now I had to catch one.

Putting my thoughts of fire juggling and surfing aside, I put all my energy into locating a fish-and it had to be bigger than Masumune's. The water rippled non-stop, distorting everything beneath the liquid. I reached out a couple times, but I only managed to catch a couple wet, slimy rocks. Was this even possible? Bothered, I tallied up the fish that every one had found so far. Tsubasa had caught five more, Kyouya: three, and the rest of them had caught at least one, save myself and Madoka. Having gathered my information on the current standings, I returned to the busying task of finding my fish once more. The warm sun beat onto my back through the trees and caused the water to reflect the light into my eyes. This only made it harder to see. Maybe I couldn't catch the fish with my hands after all? Dad was still willing to teach with the pole, but then again-

Wait.

The flick of a grey tail…

The sound of a small splash…

The feeling of movement near me…

Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed a trout hastily. Its multi-colored scales reflected the sunlight and cast little circles of light on my blue Bakugan shirt and the fish squirmed desperately, attempting to return to the water. I just stared at it in disbelief, until I became aware of Tsubasa standing over me,

"That's a rainbow trout," he pointed at my catch, "Their scales are really colorful and pretty. Nice work, Ginka."

Glowing, I handed my precious fish over to Dad, who put it in the bucket with the rest of them.

"Good job, Ginka," he smiled at the fish, "Wow look at those scales-how beautiful!"

At the end of it all, Masumune beat me: 2-1, but everyone agreed that I had caught the prettiest fish. Plus it didn't really matter, at least Kyouya beat Masumune with an outstanding 5 to 2.

"I let him win," the panda loving blader lied, "Even the 1# blader has to let someone else win sometimes."

"Uh huh," Benkei and I just nodded like that was true.

Together, we all caught 20 fish, with Tsubasa catching 8 more than his first, Yu finding 1 more, Benkei caught 1, and Madoka wasn't able to get one.

"It's okay," she said confidently, "I'll try again next time."

Dad nodded at the bucket that was nearly overflowing with our fish and he counted them out twice,

"I have to hand it to you kids, you had a real nice fishing session, even without my mad skills. This'll make an excellent dinner tonight. For now, though, let's leave them here in this bucket and I'll clean them after our nature walk."

I forgot to mention, Dad didn't catch one fish with his pole and he seemed a little upset about that, but he was cheerful nonetheless.

"Wow that was really fun!" Yu bubbled, "But I don't want to eat Ben-Ben's; it looks like it ate too much, I mean look at the stomach."

In wonder, I looked at Benkei's fish. It did have a bloated appeal, but that usually made for a more tasty fish.

"What is with you!" Bull Boy glared at Yu and put his hands on his hips, "What did I ever do to you?"

"Ben-Ben, you're so clueless!" Yu laughed at him, "Oh well. So! When are we going to do that nature walk thing? Because that sounds fun!"

Father opened his mouth to answer him, but before he could speak, a shadow covered the sun for a moment and we turned to figure out what had cause the blockage.

"An eagle," Dad mused, pointing upwards.

Sure enough, there was a tiny eagle, small enough to rest on my shoulder, soaring freely in the cloudless sky. The mixture of brown and white feathers contrasted attractively against the yellow of its beak and its golden eyes were intelligent and bright. Upon seeing us, it reached out his strong talons and headed our way to land. I freaked out that it was going to attack me, but to my surprise it landed on Tsubasa's shoulder and let out a tiny, but powerful cry.

"Glad you could join us," the golden eyed boy told the bird, reaching into the fish bucket to hand it a small trout. The feathered creature snapped it up in a jerkish manner and swallowed it whole, grateful for the meal. Yu looked like he was about to complain but Tsubasa assured him that he had caught the fish.

"Woah, is that your eagle?" I asked, curiously.

"This is Aquila," he explained, "he's been with me for awhile."

"You have your own eagle?" Father questioned, "Is that even legal? And besides that: where did you get him? We're in Japan for goodness sakes! Don't they originate in North America?"

Before Tsubasa could answer, Madoka stepped forward and slowly reached out to the bird,

"Can I pet him?"

"Go right ahead."

Hesitantly, she reached out until her hand made contact with Aquila's head. He accepted the gesture and bent down so she could pet him more effectively.

"He's soft!" she exclaimed happily.

"How did you do that?" Yu was fascinated with Madoka's ability to pet the animal, "Quilly hates it when I try to pet him. In fact, he usually gives me this evil stare and sometimes he snaps!"

At 'Quilly', the eagle's head sharply turned to face Yu and his eyes fixated unblinkingly on the blond for a few moments.

"See!" the young boy pointed, "He's staring at me! Dumb bird!"

In response to Yu's insult, Aquila gave a warning snap, shutting the child up, then went back to nuzzling Madoka's hand.

I tried not to laugh at the scene.

Unfortunately, Benkei couldn't keep it in and his chuckling turn to full blown chortles in seconds,

"I think he likes you, Yu! It's probably that nickname you gave him, it's just so fitting!"

'Quilly' snapped at the bull blader promptly, quieting him as well.

"Nah I think he likes you, Ben-Ben," Yu laughed.

Eventually, Aquila let out one last call before plunging back into the sky. I watched as he glided effortlessly out of view and for a moment, I wished that I could fly.

"Man, I really hate that bird," Yu announced, once the eagle was out of sight.

"Yu, I've explained this before," Tsubasa placed his hands on his hips, sighing, "Aquila doesn't appreciate nicknames. And I don't think he liked it when you plucked one of his feathers for that hat you made."

"But I asked him nicely!"

"What about the time you modeled your line of ice cream bows on him?"

"I thought he enjoyed that!"  
>"And when you called him a parrot, named him Polly and fed him the cracker?"<p>

"How was I supposed to know he was an eagle named Quilly?"

"My mistake for asking," Tsubasa held his forehead in annoyance.

"On that note!" Dad interrupted, "Let's head out on our nature walk!"

He really wanted to teach us something and since the whole fishing thing had failed for him, Dad was eager to go on this walk.

"Yeah baby!" Yu jumped and followed my father energetically. The rest of us trailed after them, enjoying the nature around us.

"Alright! First, I need a little background on you lovely tourists," Dad mimicked a tour guide as much as he could, right down to fast tone, "So, would you mind if I asked a couple questions?"

"What kind of questions?" Benkei was the first to answer, "Like, our favorite color or something? Because my favorite color is red."

Oh that made sense. I remembered that bull-fighters used red blankets to attract the bulls only to whip it away. Weird…

"No, I was thinking more along the lines of whether you believed in the existence of Phoenix's or not, but favorite color's good too," Dad told him, "So, do you guys believe in Phoenix's?"

All of us said no, except for Masumune who gave a confident, "Oh course!".

"Yes! Finally some kid with common sense!" Dad fawned, high-fiving the unicorn lover, "And these kids don't acknowledge the Phoenix's existence!"

"I know right! Shun the non-believers!"

"Shun!"

"Um, Dad?" I began, pointing at something ahead.

"Son, you're not going to change my mind. Phoenix's are definitely real."

"No, that's not it-! Dad-"

"Don't even; I know you don't believe this obvious truth."

"Mr. Hagane! Look out!" Madoka cried.

"Wha-?"

"BEAR!" Yu shrieked, pointing to a huge animal three times taller than Dad, towering over us with an angry expression on it's face.

"D-do you think he believes in Pheonix's?" Dad asked, shakily.

"I d-don't think he has a b-belief on the subject," Masumune replied in a tone just as unsteady.

"Bu-Bu-Bu-Bull! It doesn't look like that's on his top ten list of things to worry about!" Benkei yelled, eyeing the beast's sharp fangs.

And just when things couldn't get more complicated, Kyouya pulled out a familiar object and pointed it straight at the bear's stomach,

_"Let it Rip!"_

* * *

><p><strong>Surprisingly, this whole picnic thing is taking me longer to write than I thought it would...<strong>

**Man, there's a whole other chapter to type up! :D. Well, as usual, I have a few notes on this chapter.**

**1. Okay, so I know that Tsubasa directly calls his eagle, 'Eagle' once (I think...), but since they switched 'Aquila' and 'Eagle' with the name of his beyblade, I thought I just do that with his eagle so it actually has a name. Meaning, Tsubasa's beyblade is 'Earth Eagle' and his actual eagle is 'Aquila' XD.**

**2. Another eagle note: They really do originate in North America (at least Bald Eagles do) so I thought it was really weird how Tsubasa has a bald ealge in Japan :D, but that's really irrelevent and kinda random. Sorry 'bout that!**

**I think that's it for now! Thanks for putting up with this outro again :P. I'm almost back on schedule again with this story! (Yay!)**

**Until next chapter! :)**


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